Out of Focus
by DarkElements10
Summary: [Sequel] "You can't depend on your judgement when your imagination is out of focus." After the singularity, Barry's speed fluctuates as he looks for stability in his life. In her final months of probation, Averey navigates Team Flash and a meta-human world that moved on without her. Meanwhile Zoom arrives, bringing with him a second speedster: angry, and with a face of their past.
1. Stop and Stare

**Out of Focus**

 **By: Rhuben**

 **Full Summary:** [Sequel to In a Flash, second in Blindsided Series] "You can't depend on your judgement when your imagination is _out of focus_ _._ " Six months after closing the singularity, Central City continues to be exposed to meta-humans, and Team Flash continue to be haunted by the deaths of two of their own. While Barry seeks stability, he finds himself stumbling as his speed starts to fluctuate at the worst times. Jay Garrick arrives in Central City, and Barry is hesitant to believe what he says about Earth-2. He's also hesitant to believe that he's seeing the doppelgänger of not only Harrison Wells, but a friend he thought he lost. In her final months of probation, Averey must navigate Team Flash and the meta-human world that moved on without her. Stuck between being a normal law-abiding citizen and becoming a hero, she tries to keep the eyes of Central City off her to fly under the radar. Unfortunately, due to her familial line and her past in the Royal Flush Gang, she's already been overexposed. Accepting and relying on her criminal background may be the best course of action. As Cisco's "vibe memories" come more frequently, he fears what he can become. When he's pushed to be more than just a computer nerd, and being more than the baby brother of the great Dante Ramon, he finds it harder to connect with someone on the same wavelength as him. Easier said than done; especially when the alternative is to fully reconnect with his brother. Then the powerful Zoom arrives; bringing with him meta-humans stronger than they've faced before, including a disgruntled speedster carrying the face of their past. Can Barry keep the team together when Central City faces the greatest obstacle; losing faith in the Flash?

 **Rating:** T

 **Pairings:** Spallen **,** WestAllen, SnowJay, HawkVibe, Cisco/OC

* * *

 **Chapter One:** Stop and Stare

* * *

Shaking off a punch, Averey Moore's eyes snapped open.

Ducking under a jab, elbows positioned close to her ribs, fingers curled into a fist inside her black and pink gloves, she reacted quickly. Angling her body sideways, she snapped her leg backwards. The ball of her foot struck the blow. Settling back into a defensive stance, she blocked the punches coming rapidly towards her face.

Keeping her gloves up, she narrowed her eyes, slowly blinked, and movement slowed. A red glove swung in an uppercut motion towards her jaw, the other pulling back for a quick follow up strike leaving the chest wide open. Blinking again to correct her vision, Averey stepped forward in a burst attack. She blocked the punches, grabbing onto her opponents' shoulders. Driving her knee upwards, she struck them in the stomach. She threw in a jab, a hook, and feigned a second knee strike. Wrapping her leg around her opponent's, she stepped back quickly. Her opponent hit the ring floor with a _whack_!

Stuffing a glove into her armpit, Averey removed her hand to take out her mouth guard. Spitting, a glob of saliva (slightly tinged red) hit the floor. Taking in a deep breath of air, she leaned back against the red and blue ropes.

"Game over. Now get out of here, Melanie." she commanded. Using the back of her hand, she started massaging her jaw. How she didn't see the punch coming, she didn't know. That made her more frustrated than anything. "And I hope you realise, after that sucker punch, I was trying _real_ hard not to throttle you, mate." Chest lifting and falling, she caught her breath. She dragged her forearm across her forehead. It did little to wipe away the sweat as her arm was covered in it.

Melanie Walker brushed her sweaty blonde hair out of her bright red face. She pulled herself up into a seated position. Spitting her mouth guard out of her mouth, it bounced across the ring. Fixing Averey with a piercing stare of her blue eyes she said, "Look. Can we talk about this?" She pulled her knees to her chest before standing.

"You agreed," Averey said, turning away from her to climb out from between the ropes. Feet hitting the gym floor, she made her way to the bench. Her gym bag sat waiting for her. "If I won, you'd leave Central City without another word, yeah?"

"I lied."

Averey snorted. "Something you've always been good at, I reckon." She dug through her bag for her towel. Running the coarse fabric over her face, sweat gathered from her face and hair. lacing it around her shoulders. Hooking her thumb under the strap of her sports bra, she removed it from digging into her collar bone and hooked the towel around her neck. Sitting down on the bench she started removing the straps to the protective gear on her legs. "Why am I so surprised?"

Melanie sneered. "You're not exactly the picture of truth here, _Eight_ ," she replied, ducking between the ropes. Allowing her body to teeter off the edge of the ring, she jumped to the ground. Averey ignored her. "As if you've never lied before." All annoyance left her face. Crossing the room to the bench Averey was sitting on she said, "All I'm asking for is your help."

"Just like I asked you for help when I was arrested?" Melanie pressed her lips together and Averey burst out laughing. "Yeah, right! I'm not _that_ much of an idiot. Anymore." Stretching her now bare legs in front of her, Averey reached for her water bottle. Melanie sat down next to her. Averey tilted her head back and took her time drinking her water.

"You got out, didn't you? Your police friend helped."

Removing the water bottle from her mouth, Averey slapped her hand on top of the spout, and said, "Yeah, and look where that got him." She pulled her towel up over her face in the guise of wiping her face down a second time. She had been doing a good job not thinking about Eddie, too. Shaking her head repeatedly, she tried not to think about that night, not to have it play out in front of her again. But, it was already too late.

 _Clutching tightly to Barry strong winds whipped past her, trying to suck them into the singularity as it continued to grow by the second. Debris bounced and clattered against the floor of the particle accelerator. The giant machine was breaking and tearing apart around them. Iris's pleads and screams of anguish echoed in her ears. Desperately, Iris tried to get out of her dad's grasp, reaching for Eddie's body being pulled across the floor. His limp body mixed in with the debris and was pulled higher, and higher off the ground until he disappeared out of sight. All the while, Iris kept screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming._

Shuddering, the vision broke into pieces, fading away until all she saw again was the white of her towel. Roughly pulled the towel away from her face, she shoved it into her bag.

"I'm sorry," Melanie said, her voice dropping to a soft tone. "I heard about what happened on the news." Out of the corner of her eyes, Averey could see Melanie watching her closely. "He was a good friend of yours, wasn't he?"

"Not anymore." Getting to her feet, she made sure she had all her belongings. Removing a t-shirt from her bag, she pulled it over her head. The material stuck to her sweaty body. Walking through the halls to the front of the gym, she started removing the braids in her hair. "Hey, Chuck, I'm checking out."

"No problem." Chuck gave a nod before reaching for a sheet of paper with the company letterhead on it. "Will I see you next week for another lesson?" After quickly scribbling down a note, writing the date, time, his signature, and stapling a business card to it, he handed it to her. Taking his pen, she signed her signature in a quick flourish before sliding the paper into her bag.

"I don't know yet, but I'll let you know."

"Sure. I'll see you when I see you."

Removing a pair of sunglasses from the side pocket of her bag, Averey slid them over her eyes before turning and heading out the door. The afternoon sun warmed up her skin, the goosebumps from the gym's air conditioning disappearing. Melanie stuck by her side the whole way. Annoyingly so. "Don't you have a bus to catch?"

"Not until you hear me out," Melanie insisted. "You know my brother – "

"Axel Walker, aka Trickster Jr.?" Averey asked. She had to hold back a laugh. She had known him sort of personally at a point in time. Twisting her mouth to the side, she glanced up the street, looking around for a streak of red, and yellow lightning that she knew she wouldn't see. It had been six months since she had last managed to see the Flash in person, but it was a habit to check. "No, I've never heard of him."

"Funny," Melanie said flatly. "I'm being serious. Axel doesn't belong in Iron Heights with those guys. He just got mixed around with a bad group." She grabbed Averey's elbow, trying to get her to stop walking. "He was working with me in Gotham. Things were going well for him; he was keeping up with rent, got promoted at work, and then one day I see his face on the news."

"Not my problem."

Melanie's tone took on frustration. "If it weren't for me, you and your friends here wouldn't have been able to hack any security system." She jabbed herself in the chest with her finger. "I perfected that with my family back in Gotham and it spread to other cells of the Royal Flush Gang."

Removing her elbow from Melanie's grasp, Averey stopped walking. "So, I owe you now, yeah?" she asked. She could at least give Melanie credit for keeping her voice down as they spoke. "Good luck explaining that one to me."

Melanie put her hands up defensively before putting them together in a prayer's position. "I'm just asking you to hear me out," she said. "We used to be roommates. Friends, even. We could rely on each other, and I need that right now." Her shoulders lifted. Slowly, she took in a deep breath of air before releasing it. "Please. For my brother. I know how important family is to you and it is to me, too. If he's really close with this Trickster guy, then he's in big trouble. I think I could appeal his case if we can prove that he was being manipulated. Brainwashed. He's not himself. That guy on TV was not him."

"You know all about manipulation," Averey said, starting to walk again, "surely you can figure out how to reverse it whenever you visit him at – " Her stomach dropped. She went from angry to nauseous in a second when a _beep-beep, beep-beep, beep-beep_ sounded. "Iron Heights." Twisting her right leg, she glanced down at the orange light blinking on the ankle monitor strapped to her. "S _hit!_ I gotta go. I gotta go!"

"Here." Melanie dug into her bag and removed what looked like a small playing card, shoving it into Averey's hand. She pushed it back and Melanie stuffed it into the side pocket of Averey's bag. Barely glancing at it, Averey spotted that the suit on the card was a 10 of spades. A part of her was amused at the design on the business card. "Just take it. If you change your mind, call me. Go! Run!"

Knowing she didn't have any time to argue any longer, Averey took off running. Gym bag bouncing off her side, her feet slapped against the pavement. Her sunglasses slid up and down her nose with each step, breath coming out in puffs. Darting around pets, strollers, slow walking groups, and families with screeching kids (some on leashes), she tore through the streets of Central City. Unfortunately, she wasn't running fast enough to miss the reactions to her ankle.

She hated the stares, whispers, and points.

 _I bet Barry never had to deal with this_ , she thought, her chest starting to burn.

Her exercise routine had decreased significantly in the past six months compared to the constant meta-human attacks she'd rush out for. Going to the gym to work out, or the park for some time to play soccer didn't keep her as in shape compared to when she was out as Visionary. She shook her head, nearly throwing herself off balance at the sudden movement. _Don't think about it, Ave. You don't work at S.T.A.R. Labs anymore._

 _Beep-beep, beep-beep, beep-beep._

"I KNOW! I KNOW!" Bowing her head and pushed herself forward. Heart hammering in her chest, throat tightening, she tried to bring in as much air into her lungs as possible. Her townhouse came into view. Running on the sides of her feet she made a sharp right turn into the driveway, skirted past the Kingston Konstruction truck, took the stairs up to the door two at a time and burst into the foyer shouting, "Outlet! Outlet! Outlet!"

The townhouse was a lot smaller than the house she had grown up in, but it still had enough space for the three of them. In fact, in some ways it felt more secure with the smaller space, compared to other places she had stayed, especially her last townhouse where she never knew who would show up at the door. It was a modern styled home filled with dark wood, blacks, greys, and whites reminding Averey, in an ironic way, where she could have ended up. Comparatively with the open design of the home, more natural light entered home. More light than she knew she'd get while imprisoned.

"Living room."

Dropping her bag at her feet, Averey quickly pulled off her shoes before stepping up the small flight of stairs to her left, and up into the main open area. With the dining area to her left-one side of the sturdy wooden table with bench seating, all other sides surrounded by chairs—she hurried through the serving area, through the kitchen which housed a with a second dining table and a center island complete with three backless stools, and into the sunken living room.

Sliding across the hardwood floor, she grabbed out of midair the adaptor that was thrown at her, and plugged it into the wall, scrambling for the jack at the other end. "Come on, come on." In her rush, she repeatedly jabbed the jack around the device's insertion point before she finally jabbed it into its socket with a little click, and the beeping stopped. "Got ya!" Falling onto her back in relief, keeping her leg elevated against the wall, she tried to catch her breath. "That was close." She closed her eyes focusing on catching her breath. _Two and a half weeks. Just two and a half weeks._

"Nice landing, Aviator." Opening her eyes, she realized she still had her sunglasses on and pushed them up her forehead. Angling her head, she watched her step-father, Daniel Kingston, cross the living room, leaving his seat on the semi-circle settee to sit down beside her. Pressing his back against the wall, he stretched his legs out in front him, making himself comfortable. "Closest call so far, yeah? You get an eight out of ten for style on the slide, but four out of ten for timing." Locking eyes with Daniel, Averey felt herself smile before the two of them started laughing. "At least you made it on time."

"I find nothing funny about this, Averett." Their laughter stopped immediately and Averey sat up, twisting at the waist to face her mom, Ellie Kingston. On her knees on the couch cushion, she faced her daughter, hands tightly gripping a mug, steam rising into the air. "Now's the time to really take this seriously. You could lose your Earned Leave if you're not careful."

"Oooh, she full named you," Daniel commented, before giving his wife an apologetic smile in response to hard stare she was now sending in his direction. "Since you'll be down there for the next hour, do you want me to get you anything? Your computer?"

"And anti-itch and a cotton bud." Averey laid back down on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. "Thanks heaps." She snapped her fingers. "Oh! In my bag, I have proof I was at the gym. Could you scan it, please?"

"You got it, kiddo." Daniel patted her hand before lifting himself from the floor. He stopped to give Ellie a kiss on the cheek before crossing to the back corner of the living room open to a set of stairs, leading to the upper levels. His thudding footsteps fading as he went.

Averey sighed through her nose. In two and a half weeks, her six months of house arrest was up. And she didn't know how to feel about it.

On the one hand, she was relieved that finally she wouldn't be tethered to her own home. She could walk outside without stares and points, she didn't have to worry about rushing to be back home at a certain time. She could go get Big Belly Burger instead of ordering pizza. On the other, she was also hesitant about going back out into the world she had been isolated from for so long.

 _Must be what_ _dad feels like_ , she found herself thinking more often. _Only without the comforts of home._

Nightly telecasts about all the work the Flash did was hard to watch. Having picked up the habit of listening to online police scanners, she would have to constantly fight the urge to jump up and help. Not only could she not leave without her GPS tracking her to questionable locations, but there was no way she would have been able to stop in the middle of a fight to plug in her ankle monitor for an hour, or to leave for curfew.

Plus, and even more importantly, her parents didn't know she was a meta-human. After hearing all about Gavin and the Royal Flush Gang, their opinions on meta-humans who used their abilities for personal gain were skewed in an unfavorable direction.

Averey knew she had gotten incredibly lucky that she was seeing no jail or prison time for her involvement with the Royal Flush Gang. Between her past discretions with the gang; compiling all the information she had; working as a criminal informant; and having people like Eddie Thawne and Captain Singh going to bat for her, she was grateful that her plea deal and argument of coercion, manipulation, violence, threats, and exploitation was accepted by the judge. All the same, the time spent in the courthouse's conference room waiting to for confirmation was nerve wracking. Even more than spending three months in Keystone Regional Jail waiting to hear what her official sentencing would be.

Six months ago, as she twisted back and forth in her chair, Averey had no idea how long the proceedings were going to take when she had arrived at the courthouse. They had been in the conference room since nine that morning, ready to submit a plea deal. Daniel and Ellie had been seated on either side of her, squeezing her hands in support. Her lawyer, Joanna Murphy, who had been with them in the room to explain the process, had been speaking with the judge for fifteen long minutes. Joanna's co-counsel, Michael Aaron was seated across from them, hands folded on the table. His finger tapped in time to the ticking from the clock.

"No matter what," Ellie said, drawing circles on the back of her hand with her thumb, "everything will be ok, sweet." Removing her hand from her daughter's, she tucked a lock of Averey's hair behind her ear, before starting to twirl her own dark hair around her finger. "We're still here."

"That's not going to change, kiddo." Daniel pulled his hand from hers and smoothed down her hair before kissing the top of her head. "Promise."

Despite accepting their words of encouragement, Averey didn't answer. The twisting in her seat stopped and she started bouncing her knee, her heel hitting the floor in quick succession. That was shortly followed by chewing on her thumbnail before she switched to rapping her knuckles on the table. Setting her gaze on the doorknob, she zoomed in her vision, enlarging the image of the doorknob in front of her eyes. She was not going to miss the second the door opened.

"Yeah, I know." It took way too long for her to understand that. She should have known and accepted that fact ages ago. There was only so many times she could be in trouble with the law, and attempt to face it alone, before anyone would reach their breaking point out of fear or frustration.

"Good news," Joanna Murphy announced, stepping back into the room, a stack of papers in her hands, "the judge accepted the plea deal."

A collective sigh was released in the room, but Averey could see on the woman's face that it wasn't all the news she had to share. Joanna's lips were pursed, emphasizing the wrinkles that had begun forming around them (most likely due to the stress of the job); her eyebrows angled downwards in concern forming a crease between them before sliding back to their normal position.

"What is it?" Averey asked, blinking hard to reset her vision. "What else?" Joanna's footsteps halted for a moment, surprised by the bluntness of her question, before she continued to the table. "I can see it on your face." Her heart started ramming in her chest, sweat prickling at her armpits.

Lying was easy to detect in other people. Everyone had a certain tell about them. Whether it was a brief hike of an eyebrow, the twitch of lips, repeated blinking, she'd spot it. It was almost funny; she had spent a lot of her time lying about her double life thinking she was doing a good job at hiding.

"The judge won't accept a full pardon," she explained, setting the papers down onto the table. Michael instantly reached for the top piece of notebook paper filled with Joanna's handwriting. "He does not agree that you should be let off without punishment, however, he agrees that the meta-human situation makes things sticky. The instances where you had acted on your own accord, choosing to commit a crime swayed his decision."

"What does that mean?" Ellie asked.

"He proposed a different sentencing," Michael replied as Joanna sat down beside him.

Lifting a hand, Joanna checked that her bun was still in place (Averey could see some wisps of hair were starting to poke out—maybe from how often she checked, or how many times she shoved in and ripped out the pen sitting behind her ear). "Accept the plea deal and you're accepting six months on house arrest, eight months of probation," she explained.

"Which will take you to the end of the year," Michael said. "You'll be starting 2016 with a clean slate if everything goes well."

"There's also the need to pay the additional costs of court fees, probation fees, and any payment of restitution that has yet to be decided upon at this moment."

"No jail time?" Daniel asked incredulously. "Or prison? At all?"

Joanna let out a breath of air, her cheeks puffing up with air momentarily, making her look like a chipmunk. If the situation wasn't so serious, Averey would have started laughing. Luckily, she could save the image to her memory bank.

"This is a really tricky situation, Mr. Kingston," she admitted. "We're fortunate enough to have Judge Bex drop the charges as far as he did. It helps that Averett has agreed to testify against everyone else, and has been willing to work with the police to bring them in. Unfortunately, meta-humans are still a new area for us. Who are we to really know for sure who is a true meta-human and who is using that title to get out of trouble?" She took the papers in her hands and straightened the already straight pile. "We've done our best to locate those who could corroborate her story, but it's been hard."

 _Of course it has._ Averey bowed her head. _Bette hasn't been heard from in ages and you're never going to find Ronnie to use him. Ever._ Lifting her gaze, she looked past the men sitting across from her to peer out the window. They weren't that far away from where the singularity had opened. Where Ronnie had risked his life to help the city. Where Caitlin had, for a second time, lost the love of her life.

She must have shaken or reacted in some way to her thoughts as Daniel had moved his arm to rest on the back of her chair before he placed his hand comfortingly on her shoulder. Averey looked over at him and he gave her a smile and a wink.

"We've exhausted every resource we have to try and find anyone that had been contacted by this group," Joe commented, clasping his hands in his lap. "We could not find anybody that was willing to come forward. They refused to acknowledge whether they had any kind of connection with the Royal Flush Gang and, further, Belle Reve."

"Since Averey is the only one who's speaking up, she's the only person to be, unfortunately, made an example out of," Michael added, setting the notebook paper down onto the table. He smoothed down his tie, sitting straighter in his seat. "And, it is my understanding, that Detective Eddie Thawne had warned you that he couldn't guarantee you walking away from this without some sort of repercussion?" Averey nodded. "Then, Mr. and Mrs. Kingston, I believe this is the best situation we could ask for."

"If you accept this, then we can get your paperwork started right now," Joanna replied, pushing the stack of papers towards Averey. "Fill this out with as much information as you can, as honestly as you can. Nothing can be off limits."

Averey quickly flipped through the pages, swallowing thickly. Her nostrils started flexing before she sniffed repeatedly, trying to rid them of the stinging pain that suddenly started to burn, a sign that she was close to crying. Directions such as "letter from person(s) you live with acknowledging that House Arrest/Electronic Monitoring will affect them as well", "list family members who do not reside with you, include all parents, siblings, children, and intimate relationships", and "a letter from your employer must accompany this application" jumped out at her. But it was "I will wear the ankle bracelet at all times", and "movement will be tracked and stored" that repeated over and over in her mind.

As the words sunk in, Averey let go and burst into tears, burying her face in her hands. Between gasps of air and her sobs, she managed to get out a wobbly "Th-thank you-u" before she started crying again, flopping face down on the table. The uncomfortable sticky feeling of her breath on the table, condensation forming under her arms, her forehead, saliva spilling out of her mouth greeted her. Her mom had started crying as well, wrapping her arms around her daughter. Averey wanted to pull herself away from the touch and sink into it all at the same time. Then Daniel was holding them both.

"Don't thank us, yet," Joanna said grimly. "You still have to talk to the judge, make it official."

Now, with two and a half weeks left, the end was in sight. She could move on with her life. There was still the matter of whether she could have her record expunged, however. Due to the new involvement of bringing meta-humans and their abilities into law, it was easier said than done. In accordance to Missouri law, her record had a better chance of being expunged if her second misdemeanor had been acted upon five years after the first charge. Hers was three to four years depending on how it was being counted. The fact that she had been "drugged" and acting against her will worked in her favor, but meta-humans and their abilities were still a new reality to Central City.

Iron Heights had just completed a new wing specifically to house meta-humans, but the laws surrounding acceptable punishments was still being worked on. Regarding her case, it was something that could be discussed for months until a conclusion was agreed upon. Best case scenario: in a year, the new crime would be expunged and she would receive a Certificate of Actual Innocence, leaving only her previous petty theft crime on her record.

"Ava!"

"Huh?" Averey's eyes snapped open and she tried to control her breathing. Her chest was tight, her throat burned, almost like she was going to start crying. Breathing quietly in and out, she tried to slow her heartbeat. "Yeah, mum?"

"I said that Captain Singh called while you were out," Ellie explained. "He didn't say what it was he was calling for, just that he wants you to call him back." Averey didn't answer. The less time she spent around CCPD, the better. "We also need to think about what you'll do when everything is over. Have you considered getting in contact with your old boss? Tracey?"

"Jitters hasn't even been rebuilt yet," Averey said, running her hands over her face (knocking her sunglasses to the floor), before locking them behind her head. "I don't think they're taking applications anytime soon."

She shook her leg, trying to reduce the pins and needles feeling as the blood had flowed out of it the longer it stayed elevated. Using her other foot, she used her toenails to start scratch at the skin around the ankle monitor. The "hurts so good" feeling of pain and relief instantly arose when she scratched at the red and chafing skin. Her ankle monitor wasn't always the most comfortable thing to wear with tight work out pads.

"Besides, I was let go, remember?" she asked.

"For showing up to work late on numerous occasions, that's all." Ellie took a long sip of tea before smacking her lips. "You've been on time every day you've been working with Daniel."

"Yeah, because he drove me and made sure I was there and back here on time," Averey pointed out to her. Community service wasn't part of her plea deal, but working with a construction company to rebuild Central City looked good on paper. Getting done early for good behavior wasn't known for house arrest, but it didn't hurt to prove that she could be a stand-up citizen of the city.

God knew Central City needed all the construction help it could get. Daniel hit a niche market at a good time and put his extensive years as a contractor to good work. Whenever she wasn't out on pre-scheduled photography jobs and working freelance in Keystone, she was travelling through the damaged city with him, helping him keep job orders organized, working in make-shift offices on sites, taking calls, and collecting work orders and information. The pay was good, but most of it automatically went back to the weekly dues she needed to pay.

"This is the right time to apply; get ahead of it so they're not spending their first few days back looking for help." Ellie used her hand to brush her hair back from her face. "Just because you were let go doesn't mean she can't rehire you. Just ask for a time to meet, yeah? No, better yet, just walk over there and start talking. _Make_ her listen to you."

"That's not how these things work now," Averey said with a short laugh. "If I want to reapply, I have to do things online and wait for a call for an interview." _If they even want me back. Tracey had to have heard by now about my house arrest_.

"Ok." Ellie seemed to accept her answer. "What about at S.T.A.R. Labs?"

Averey winced. She had scratched herself too hard. At least that's what she was told herself, using her thumb to wipe away the blood on her foot. "That was only a volunteer basis," she answered as calmly as possible. Swallowing thickly, she did her best to keep the lump that was sliding up her throat at bay. "Nothing I got paid for."

"Volunteer work can turn into real jobs, sweet. It won't hurt to look into it."

She was saved from answering as Daniel returned with her computer and the other requested items. Pulling herself up from the floor into a seated position, Averey turned her back to her mom, settling her computer on her lap. After booting up the system and entering in her password when prompted, she squirted a glob of anti-itch cream onto one end of the cotton bud. A long sigh of satisfaction slipped past her lips. Lifting the monitor up her leg until the width of her muscles stopped it from moving anymore, she carefully rubbed the cream on her irritated skin.

"That's better. Cheers, dude."

Her gaze instantly fell on her background picture. Gone was the old photo of her first visit in Central City 21 years ago. In its place was two half screen pictures: one of her, Barry Allen, and Henry Allen taken in Central City Hospital, the other of her, Barry, Cisco Ramon, and Caitlin Snow at Barry's 26th birthday party.

Barry and Averey flanked their dad, all smiling peacefully at the camera the day he could visit when she was in Central City Hospital. Barry was the camera man that day, arm extended to snap the picture. With Henry's handcuffs and the Iron Heights Prison logo on his shirt out of frame or hidden by Barry's shoulder, it looked like any other family photo.

The bottom picture was taken with the four of them squished onto the West's couch. Barry was closest to the camera, face scrunched up in a laugh. Cisco sat to his left, looked pleased with himself, his smile almost a toast to the camera. To his left was Averey, leaning back in her seat in mid-laugh, hands clapped together. Caitlin rounded out the picture with her usual "How am I friends with you guys?" smile.

Opening her internet browser, she did her usual routine of checking her e-mail, social media, video subscriptions, the news. After finding herself cycling through the same websites over and over, she let out a groan, closing her computer again. It was just as well: it was just another reminder of how much the city and people were changing without her. She tried watching TV with her parents from her vantage point on the floor, but even then, there was never anything good on in the early afternoon. Letting out a huff of annoyance, she flopped back down onto the floor.

"Why don't you go take a shower," Ellie suggested, picking up on her daughter's frustration. "We'll throw your stuff in the wash and make you something to eat."

"Eggs, bacon, toast?" Daniel asked from where he sat on the back of the couch. He looped an arm around his wife, sliding his hand up and down her arm. "Any preferences?"

"Soft boiled." Averey twisted her leg to look at the monitor and pumped her fist when she saw the green light. Finally, it was done charging. "Thanks."

Unplugging herself from the outlet, she went to her abandoned bag to grab the business card out of it. Glancing back at her parents over her shoulder, she watched as Ellie leaned into Daniel's embrace and he placed a kiss on top of her head. Smiling to herself, she ripped Melanie's card into pieces before hurrying up the stairs and into the bathroom. After flushing the pieces of paper, and a quick shower, she could smell the cooking bacon and hear her parents moving around the kitchen. Upbeat music played, filling the kitchen with positive energy.

Joining her parents in the kitchen, she glanced at the popping, and shrinking breakfast food. From there, the flames licking at the bottom of the frying pan caught her attention. The familiar throbbing pain started up behind her eyes, and she looked away. "It's done," she announced, starting to rub at her eyes. "I like it – "

"Chewy and crispy, I know." Daniel gave a wink and a salute with his spatula. "Coming right up."

"Ava," Elle said, setting a mug of tea down onto the island. Averey pulled herself onto a backless stool. "I was thinking next week with your Earned Leave, we could go shopping. There's always a time for some retail therapy, even if you only have three hours to do so."

"Why can't I just go shopping at this fabulous retail store called 'Mum's Wardrobe'?" Averey wrapped her fingers around the mug of tea and lifted it to her lips, taking a long sip. Closing her eyes, she savored the warm liquid before swallowing, feeling it warm her from the inside out.

"I need new clothes too."

"Ok, ok." Opening her eyes, she gave her mom a smile. "As long as you let me buy you lunch this time."

"Why don't I take you _both_ shopping and out to lunch," Daniel offered, setting a plate of toast and bacon down in front of Averey before following it with an egg cup. Carefully cracking the top of the shell, Averey started to peel it.

Ellie gave Averey a mischievous smile before facing her husband with a suspicious gaze. "Are you saying there's something wrong with my clothes?" she asked.

"You really picked a good one, mum," Averey said deadpan, joining in on the joke. "Watch out; next he'll be making comments about your hair."

"I know, poor me." Ellie gave an exaggerated sigh. "I picked a guy who's sensible and giving. Should've picked one who would just do everything I say." As Daniel let out a loud "Ha!" Averey started laughing.

"Appreciate the offer, DK," she said, reaching for her phone, "but let me do something nice for you for once. Besides, you've had to put up with me this long. It's the least I could do." She gave a wry smile. "Actually, it's the _most_ I could do."

"Two and a half weeks," Ellie said, reaching for her own mug of coffee.

Daniel leaned against the island, looping an arm around Ellie's waist. "Just two and a half weeks," he agreed before he kissed her. And continued kissing her.

"Ugh." Averey winced, turning her head away. That was one thing she did not want to remember for the rest of her life. "I wish I didn't see that!" Peeking back at them, she mimed throwing up at the smile on her mom's face as Daniel whispered something in her ear. "Oh my god! I can't wait to get out of here." Lifting her phone, she took a picture of her food before posting it to her Instagram.

"You know," Ellie commented, making her way around the island to sit down beside Averey. "I've also noticed Cisco hasn't been commenting on any of your social media posts lately."

Averey busied herself in removing the top of her soft-boiled egg. Picking up her piece of toast, she dipped a corner into the egg yolk before taking a bite. She was aware of what her friends were and weren't doing without her – anyone that said millennials were addicted to their phones could look to her for solid proof. She was also aware that she needed to strongly consider blocking her mom from her social media accounts.

* * *

Barry Allen was used to pointing, whispers, and stares.

Being the son of Henry Allen – whose highly public, media swarming, trial of the century court case where he was accused and later found guilty of murdering his wife, Nora Allen, never seemed to full drop out of the news – he knew that it came with the territory. For the past 15 or so years of his life, he had grown to accept that people would still think his dad was guilty, and in ways he had grown to ignore it. It was a solitary feeling, but one he had embraced over the years; it had even grown to be a sort of sanctuary for him.

Especially when he was running. He was no longer just Barry Allen, the son of a murder, but the Flash, a beacon of hope for Central City.

No one else knew what it was like to zip through Central City without breaking a sweat, moving faster than previously thought possible. Moving as fast as the lightning that had struck him almost two years ago, the wind whistled past his ears, the scents of late autumn reaching his nose, being pulled into his lungs with each breath, and the chilly air keeping him cool despite the heat and sweat he built up under the material of his suit as it stretched and formed perfectly to his body. And he was the only one who knew what it was like to run at impossible high speeds; to run so quickly that he could tune everything out, allow the edges of his vision to blur leaving only a clear image of where he was going, and just for a moment, let himself be.

Now, standing in the middle of S.T.A.R Labs' Cortex, despite being by himself, Barry felt the familiar ache of loneliness. The same ache (settling in the center of his chest) he felt his first night away at college. In a way, he almost wished for the whispers, points, and stares. At least while at S.T.A.R Labs it meant that they were learning some new about him and his abilities. Walking in a slow circle, his gaze moved from the empty medical bay, to the empty seats behind the curved computer station (with empty chairs and a stack of mail he left unopened), and then finally to his suit. It sat front and center in the alcove waiting for him.

Angling his head to the side, Barry could make out the back of the second mannequin holding the black and pink Visionary suit, waiting for its owner to return. Work had been done on the alcove. The mannequins were now jutting out of a rounded track on the floor, allowing them to be pushed aside access both suits. Even a light fixture was installed on the ceiling to showcase the suits more. Mouth forming a small, sad smile, Barry wondered just how often he and Cisco Ramon had been missing each other over the past six months.

"Oh," a quiet voice said behind him, sounding as startled as Barry felt at someone else being there, "you're here."

Barry turned around to face Cisco, silence falling between the two of them. They used to be able to talk about everything and anything while in S.T.A.R. Labs together ranging from movies, to television, music, girls, anything. Now they could barely look each other in the eye. _It's better this way_ , Barry reasoned with himself, lifting his hand in a small wave which Cisco returned with a sharp uptick of his head, _no one can get hurt this way._

"I saw what you did with the suits," he said, using his waving hand to scratch the back of his head. "I like it."

"Yeah, I saw your note," Cisco replied. He stood almost a foot shorter than Barry, with his hair pulled back behind his ears, round face lacking his usual excited smile. His dark eyes did seem to hold the usual mount of excitement as he took in the sight of Barry. He stood behind his empty computer chair, digging his fingers into the back rest of the seat. "I'm glad…that you like it."

"So, uhhh, what are you doing here?" Barry asked.

"I just needed to get some extra materials," Cisco said, indicating the hallway behind him with his thumb. He scratched the side of his nose with his thumbnail before pushing his hair back behind his ears and crossed his arms over his chest. "I have an idea for something to help the CCPD's Task Force, I just need some more stuff to finish it."

"Oh." Barry slowly nodded. "You like working at Headquarters, then?" He may have barely seen or talked to Cisco in the past six months, but he had been excited to hear that he had taken on the position of Scientific Advisor at the Central City Police Department. That job was suitable for no one else but Cisco Ramon; no one else understood metahumans as well as him. "I've heard good things. From Captain Singh no less, and you know how hard it is to get a compliment from him."

Cisco's eyes widened in agreement. "Oh, don't I know it," he replied. "Since I got the job, I've been asking him for a badge." He threw his hands into the air. "But, no dice! I mean, that's not too much to ask for after everything I've helped them with. And, dude, they needed the help."

Laughter bubbled in Barry's throat, but it didn't come out. Cisco wasn't wrong. Much like the rest of Central City, the police department was doing whatever they could to adapt to the fact that metahumans were in the city. A new wing at Iron Heights was created specifically for metahumans to be housed there, and new recruits from the Police Academy were being trained on how to deal with potential metahuman interactions and new equipment being used to aid them while they were out on the streets. As for the Flash; still no one had gotten a good glimpse of him, but rumors were going around that the city was holding a Flash Day celebration in the next week.

He was saved from answering when a familiar chime reached his ears. Whirling around to face the small computer station sitting against the wall of the alcove, the screen came to laugh showing a map of the streets, a red pulsating dot smack dab in the center. "Vehicle theft," Barry said quietly, reading the small flag of text. "Maple and Sudbury. Ok." He faced his suit before he rushed into it. "Sorry to cut this short, Cisco."

"I get it," Cisco replied quickly. He chewed on his bottom lip, looking so hard at the computer he used to dutifully sit behind, Barry briefly wondered if Cisco thought it would get up and start dancing. "The Flash never takes a day off."

"Right," Barry replied, adjusting the neck of his suit before reaching for the cowl. He pulled it down over his face, the mask fitting snugly over his chin and nose. His ears felt like they were being flattened against his head, covered by the lightning bolt shaped communications link. As usual, it was a perfect fit. Dropping his arms to his sides, he looked over at Cisco, allowing himself to smile. "It was good to see you, Cisco."

"You too," Cisco agreed, matching his smile. "Now get going. I need to get my stuff and head back, anyway."

With a short nod, Barry rushed past Cisco, watching as his hair and the stack of letter flew up into the air. Skidding to a quick stop in the hallway, Barry looked back at his friend, watching as Cisco hurried to gather the letters. Upon seeing the name on the front, Cisco looked after Barry and locked eyes with him for a moment before Barry ran from the building and into the heart of Central City.

The stolen vehicle was quick to find, zig-zagging through traffic, leaving black streaks on the ground. The acrid smell of burned rubber reached his nose as Barry ran after it, pushing his speed. Closer, and closer he got to the car until he was alongside it. Peering into the driver's side window, he came face to face with a man with a scruffy beard, white-knuckling the steering wheel.

Lifting a vibrating hand, Barry passed it through the door before reaching for his seat belt, quickly popping it open. As the chest strap of the seat belt shot back into its housing unit, Barry reached for the locking mechanism of the car door shifting it. Once it became unlocked, he grabbed the door handle, swinging it open. Running off, he got a quick glance at the driver's face, watching the man's face pale, eyes widened in shock before he hastily reached for the bouncing car door, and found himself laughing.

With the thief's eyes off the road, Barry ran around the city, grabbing road cones and barriers, placing them in the path of the swerving car. Stopping in front of the barriers, he lounged almost lazily against them, turning his wrist to glance at his imaginary watch. Without the sound of rushing wind in Barry's ears, he could hear the honks from the other cars in the city, and the police sirens growing louder and louder as they raced towards the location of the car. With a loud screech, the wheels on the stolen car locked in a desperate attempt to stop before hitting Barry.

"Really?" Barry asked, pushing himself to his feet. Walking around the car, he could feel the heat rising from underneath the hood. The driver sat in his seat, staring transfixed at Barry came to a stop by the driver's side door. It looked like the man inside was hastily trying to lock the door, but kept missing the button and Barry pulled it open. "You haven't figure out by now that I can run faster than a car?" The man gaped at Barry stumbling over his words, barely stringing a sentence together. "I know, I know, it's pretty cool. Too cool for words, right?"

Shaking his head, Barry pulled the man out of the car, slamming him into the side before grabbing the seat belt, twisting it and looping it around the man before stretching it behind his back and locking it back into the seat belt. Making a show of clapping his hands together, Barry surveyed his work before leaning against the car, propping his head up with his hand, using his elbow as a rest.

"So," he said, putting his free hand on his hip, "what was it you were trying to do here?" The man was now visibly shaking, moving only his eyes in Barry's direction. Hearing doors slamming behind him, Barry turned and watched police officers making their way towards them. The man continued to blubber. "Well. Might want to start getting your story straight so you can sound at least somewhat convincing to the cops."

Without another word, but he did give a jovial wave of his hand, he ran off, doing a few laps around the city before returning to S.T.A.R. Labs. "Phew," he breathed, removing the cowl from his head, sending droplets of sweat spraying through the air.

The cool air of the darkened building brushed past his heated skin and he made a mental note to actually wash his suit this time instead of air drying it. After the initial decision to work by himself, he quickly came to realize just how much work was done back at S.T.A.R. Labs that he never even thought about. Making sure his suit was cleaned (and smelling spring time fresh) was one of them.

As soon as Barry put his Flash suit back up on the mannequin, he closed his eyes, letting out a groan when he heard another chime. For a second time, he glanced at the computer screen and saw a flashing banner indicating a security alert. After a couple of strokes of the computer keys, he had access to all the security footage as it played in small squares. Everything outside of S.T.A.R. Labs looked to be normal, except for the man in a suit and tie making his way towards the side door of the building. Zooming in on the picture, Barry saw an envelope in his hands.

"No, no, no," he said, quickly closing out of all the computer programs. He then rushed out of the room at a run (a normal run). Coming to the elevators, he watched the triangle above the closed doors turn green as a soft chime hit the air. Quickly changing his path, he burst through the stairway door situated beside the elevator and shut it as quietly as possible. Peering through the window on the door, he watched the suited man step out onto the floor.

"Mr. Allen?" the man called, voice muffled by the door between them. He consulted the envelope in his hand. "Mr. Bartholomew Allen?" The man looked around the circular hall. "I'm here representing Weathersby and Stone…again. I have a letter – another one – of importance for you."

Turning on his feet, Barry quickly ducked down behind the door. Slowly backing up, he made his way towards the stairs taking them down one by one before he felt he was far enough and he started taking them down as quickly as possible. Only when he heard the door behind him slam fly open, slam into the wall, and an exasperated voice call, "Mr. Allen!" did he use his speed to put as much distance between himself and the man as quickly as possible.

Coming to a stop in front of C.C. Jitters, he leaned back against the cardboard covered windows and took in a deep breath of air. He wasn't exactly out of breath, or tired, but to suddenly go from running as quickly as possible to a slamming stop, he needed a bit of time to get his breathing back to normal. For him. His heart beat, while it quadrupled, or maybe more, while he used his abilities, slowed back down it's normal heart beat. Which, for anyone else, would still be alarmingly quick.

Luckily for him, he had his own medical center at S.T.A.R. Labs. If he were to go to a hospital, he was sure he wouldn't be able to leave because of all the tests they wanted done on him. For the past year or so, he had been through testing the limits of his abilities with people he trusted at S.T.A.R. Labs. People who had his best interests at heart. That was, until he had everything come crashing down around him.

Barry pushed himself up to his feet and gazed up at the sign, the building a shell of its former self. How funny was it after everything, C.C. Jitters was the first place he would come to? The coffee shop, over time, had become a central part of his life. After getting out of his nine-month coma, this was the first place he had come to. It became the place where he would meet up with Iris West and, unbeknownst to her at the time, as the Flash grew closer to her in a new way. It was the place he had first reunited with his half-sister. It was the place he went for deep and important conversations where he knew he wouldn't be overheard. And most importantly, it had the coffee that gave him a great jolt in the morning in ways his speed (or a blaring alarm clock) couldn't do.

Now it sat as cold and dark as the final dredges of coffee sitting at the bottom of a cup. The glass on the front door was cracked and webbing, held together with an X made of tape. Leaning close into the window, he could see overturned furniture, chunks of insulation, and smashed coffee mugs littering the floor. Like the other buildings on the street, he knew he'd have to get to working on it, eventually. It was depressing seeing the outskirts of the city in perfect condition compared to all the destruction evident in the heart of Central City.

Closing his eyes, Barry could experience it all again.

 _As the singularity continued to grow, the cacophony of deafening wind, cracking buildings, car horns, screams of terror, and blood pounding in his ears hit Barry all at once. His heart rammed in his chest as he jumped from building to building, trying to keep his balance as it pitched and rocked from the wind. Dirt hit him in the face, making his eyes water but he ran fast, faster. No one else could save his home. A rush of heat broke through the coldness that wrapped around him, and he turned his head to see Firestorm – arms, legs, and head covered in flames, eyes an eerie white – join him in the singularity. Then there was a blinding flash of light, a wave of heat and wind knocking him off his feet, and he was hurtling back towards the ground._

Barry was pulled out of his deep thoughts when a loud car honk sounded behind him. He shook violently, feeling his muscles tense up, ready to propel himself forward before he forced himself to relax. He could feel the familiar of tingle of electricity build in his legs before he realized it was only located on his hip. A fraction of a second after that, he realized that it was his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. Quickly retrieving it, he read the text message that he received before hurrying up to his forensics lab, grabbing his gear, and heading across the city to the nuclear power plant.

Ducking underneath yellow caution tape, an EMT instantly blocked his path. "Do you have reason to be here, son?" they asked.

"Um, yeah, I'm with the Central City Police," Barry replied, adjusting the strap to his aluminum brief case. "I work in their forensic department."

"It's ok," Joe West said, stepping up to the EMT worker, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He's with me." Seeing Joe's badge, the EMT worker gave a nod of his head and Barry moved to locate the area of the crime scene he was called to, leaving Joe to ask the EMT, "How is that other guy doing?

Following Joe, Barry reached into his pocket for a pair of black gloves, snapping them on over his hands. Rounding a corner, he came across a motionless body lying on the floor of what looked to be a sectioned off area of power plant for its workers. The body had on an olive gray jump suit with an orange safety vest. His helmet lay abandoned a short way away.

"Whoa," Barry said, spotting a dark purple ring around the man's neck. He crouched down by the body. "You were having a pretty rough day, huh, buddy?"

Careful not to move the body (that was oddly lying straight with its arms down by the man's side, legs closed pointing straight down), Barry started working through his checklist. After taking pictures of the body, he carefully collected samples of hair and any other DNA fragments from the body with tape carefully wrapped reverse around his hand, picked any dirt or other debris from under the finger nails with toothpicks, and collected anything he could from the floor around the body, storing them all away in carefully labeled bags.

"What have we got here?" Joe asked, walking up beside Barry.

"Whatever happened to him, this guy put up a fight," Barry replied. He briefly looked up at Joe before starting to go over his findings. "There's some blood on his fingertips, dirt under his nails, and I'm going to assume skin from his attacker. Then if you look over here – " He carefully tilted the chin upwards, "these excoriations on his neck, around the bruising, shows he may have been trying to break free. Notice, however, that he doesn't have any blood on his neck. But – " He lifted the right eyelid, "all the petechiae on his face and in his eyes – "

Joe leaned forward, getting a better look at the man's blood shot eyes. "It makes him look like he had a great time winding down last night," he commented with a short laugh. "Knocked back a few drinks." Then he sobered. "Strangulation?"

"By a very big and very strong somebody," Barry agreed with a nod of his head. "I don't want to move the body but, I think the hyoid bone may have been fractured." Thinking back to his exam, a shiver rolled down his spine: when he touched the throat, feeling it nearly collapse under his hand. There were dark bruises behind the man's ears, and he was sure he could feel the skull splintering from the force of the crushing, dotting the skin upwards almost like brail. Flexing his fingers, and pressing his fingertips into the heels of his palms, he tried to get rid of the feeling of bone pricking into his skin. "If it's at all possible, I wouldn't even rule out an internal decapitation. I mean, this man's throat was really crushed."

"I only know of one person that is that strong," Joe commented with a deep frown. "Or rather, one _thing_."

Barry got to his feet, removing the gloves from his hands. The thought crossed his mind as well, but he quickly ruled it out. After a look around the area to make sure they wouldn't be overheard, he said, "This wasn't Grodd." He knew what it was like to be held inside the gorilla's giant fist. It was almost snake-like where he could feel every strong muscle in Grodd's hand as it closed around his neck and torso. It was uncomfortably warm and every time he tried to get a breath of air, the crushing weight just increased. "He hasn't been seen around for months."

"Do you think he's really gone?" Joe asked. "Grodd?" Barry saw a look of concern briefly pass his face.

He had too close of a run in with the gorilla having been taken hostage by the intelligent animal. Luckily, he had gotten out with only mild bruising. But in this moment, Barry could still see the fear in his eyes that he had witnessed when he had found him in Grodd's lair deep underneath the streets of Central City. Joe could push it all away long enough to get work done, to make sure both Barry and his daughter, Iris, still had him around, but an event like that changed you.

Barry had always known Joe to be a family-oriented man, but after that day, he took it up a notch. Sitting together for dinner became more of a mandatory thing, and Sunday morning breakfasts followed close after that. Despite Barry's wish to handle things on his own, trying to get out of the house at the earliest convenience, he made sure to attend every meal. The Wests, after all, were still his family.

"I think it's better we didn't hear anything about someone stumbling upon a gorilla carcass to be honest," Barry said with a grim smile. "Do we know who this guy is?"

"Al Rothstein," Joe replied, reaching for the inside breast pocket of his coat. He removed a small notepad and flipped a few scribbles filled pages over and started reading his notes. "He was a welder here at the plant. Has been an employee for the past ten years. Never had been late. Everyone here says he was a hard worker and got along well with everyone. No enemies; no one who seemed to be staking out the area, or following him, or anything like that." He pulled his lips into his mouth, tapping his hand with the notepad. "His friend didn't make it either. Seems like he was trying to help Rothstein fight off the attacker. The back of his head was smashed in."

"It's just peculiar," Barry commented, putting his hands to his hips. "We've come across strangulation victims before, but this guy…" He tilted his head to the side. "It's like whoever did this wanted to make sure people knew he was dead." Twisting his wrist towards himself, he glanced at the time on his watch, wondering for the umpteenth time why he not only kept the watch from a man who betrayed him, but why he referred to something that could never stop him from being late. "Anyway, I better get a jump on these tests, get a more conclusive idea of what happened here." Kneeling by his case, he snapped the locks shut, lifting it from the ground. "I'll let you and Captain Singh know whatever I find as soon as I get results."

He barely took two steps away when Joe said, "Cisco told me that you two ran into each other today." Barry turned on his heels, giving a shrug and a nod of his head. "How was that? You two have been 'just missing' each other at work for a while now."

"It was ok," Barry replied. "I've heard he's been a big help at Headquarters, though."

"It took a bit to convince Captain Singh to create the job for Cisco," Joe explained, tucking his notepad back into his coat. "But, I think it was his past help that really pushed him over the edge." At Barry's look of confusion, Joe explained. "Those shields he made to combat Snart and Rory. They're been lent out to the Academy, but Singh wants Cisco to be prepared just in case there needs to be more made." Barry smiled to himself.

All Cisco had ever wanted to do ever since the particle accelerator accident, was to not only make up for the damage the city had sustained, but to prove that while everyone had the right to be angry with S.T.A.R. Labs, that they could still do good if they were given a chance. Seems like after this second disaster that struck in less than a year, he was finally getting that opportunity. The Flash aside, of course. While there were many people who had their DNA altered and twisted, turning them into something more, who used their newfound abilities to take advantage of others, the Flash was their greatest accomplishment. He was their greatest ally in restoring Central City to the safe, bustling, technology based town it was before.

"Sounds like he's adjusting well," Barry replied, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "He said he was working on something for the Task Force?"

"The B.O.O.T," Joe replied. "I could guess what the acronym means but you're going to get a real crazy explanation."

"I'm telling you, no name will ever be as ridiculous as Bartholomew," Barry replied, earning a laugh from Joe.

"About as ridiculous as the upcoming Flash Day?" Joe asked, sliding his hands into his pants pockets. "Headquarters just got word that some people will be assigned to security duty that day, just in case. Yours truly included. Of course everyone just wants to know if the Flash is going to be attending." He was standing calmly, but his eyes were fixed on Barry and he recognized the look instantly: Joe was looking for an answer.

Barry let out a heavy sigh. He knew there was only so long he could go thinking the plans for a Flash Day was a rumor. There was always a little blurb in the _Central City Picture News_ or _The Central City Citizen_ about it and the supposed plan that Mayor Bellows was going to be presenting the Flash with a key to the city. It was a great honor, but one that Barry didn't deserve. He didn't do everything for the notoriety, and he wasn't going to start taking credit for something he didn't do. He wasn't the real hero that day.

"Haven't decided," he replied. Joe tilted his head to the side, but didn't say anything. His gaze was saying it all: why not? "Well, I – it's not my scene. Getting the key to the city? For real?"

"How is that any different than all the academic awards, and trophies, and certificates you got while in school?" Joe asked, eyebrows lifting. "You've done something other people could never even dream of doing. It's ok to be recognized for it."

"I don't deserve it.

"Who says?" Barry balked at the question. Surely, Joe would understand. "Has Caitlin said anything about how you shouldn't get the reward? Has Iris?" Barry didn't answer, instead checked to make sure that his case was closed securely, and that the strap wasn't digging into his shoulder. "They understood what decision they were making, and the risks involved. After everything, they would not sit by and put everything on your shoulders." He shook his head back and forth. "No one blames you, Barry."

"I know," Barry replied, "I know."

"Cisco also doesn't blame you for not wanting to accept what was left to you in Dr. Wells's living will."

Barry looked up in alarm. How did he know that? How did Cisco know that? Then he remembered what had occurred earlier. Cisco had been picking up the mail he had scattered through the air when rushing to find the stolen vehicle. He must have read it and told Joe. Barry had been left S.T.A.R. Labs. He was now the owner of one of the most known locations in the country. And he wanted nothing to do with it — apart from using it to house his suit, the only thing he did with the building was clean every now and then.

"Don't blame Cisco. He's just worried about you," Joe explained. "Only, he wasn't too keen about breaking the law, so I opened your mail." Barry stared at him. "I've been getting those letters sent to the house, too. All they've been doing is just making a pile. These people have been trying to get in touch with you for months, Bare."

"I've been busy," Barry replied, quickly. "That's all."

"Busy avoiding everyone?" Joe replied.

Letting out a scoffing chuckle, Barry briefly bowed his head, scratching at the back of his neck. "Do you remember, after I had been living with you for a few months, I still wouldn't talk to anyone? Let alone eat?" he asked, looking Joe in the eye. "No matter how hard you tried?"

"Of course." A far-off look came to Joe's face. "I hated it. Every day you weren't that sweet little boy I had known you to be, hurt me. As a cop, I knew how to give people some comfort whenever I made an arrest, or sat with them on the side of the road when their car broke down. But, I didn't know what to do or say to help you to stop being so angry."

"Do you remember what you said to me?"

"I told you that it was okay to be tough despite everything that happened. It's even more brave to let out how you really feel. That it was ok to feel."

"Well, I feel like six months ago, I had the means to do what I had always done – help people – but in the end, I only ended up hurting the people I care about most," Barry replied. "So, I don't feel like I deserve anything. Those science trophies, those academic awards? I deserved those and I got them on my own. The only way I can keep everyone safe is to do this by myself. Ok?"

"Excuse me?" Joe asked. A deep frown appeared on his face. "I seem to remember staying up late helping you with all of those science projects. I helped look over all of your homework, and proof read your papers." He pointed at Barry, voice taking on an edge of disappointment. "You seem to be forgetting the rest of what I told you: that I was here for support. We all are. That has never changed and it's not going to change another six months from now." He waved his hand in the air. "After you came to live with Iris and I, the community banded together to help you."

Barry snorted. "You mean the part that actually believed my dad was innocent?" he asked. "You weren't all that accepting of the truth, either."

Joe blinked repeatedly. "Come on, Barry," he said quietly and Barry's stomach dipped. He no longer sounded disappointed. There no anger. Not even any sadness. "We've come way too far to go back to that."

"Sorry."

"After you woke up from your coma, Caitlin and Cisco could have just let you leave. They helped you understand what happened to you. The longer you've been saving Central City as the Flash, the more support you've gotten from everyone. So, the thing is, Barry, you've never been alone. As far as I'm concerned, you're never going to be."

Barry's shoulders dropped. "Joe…" What was he supposed to say to that?

Joe put his palms out. "It's ok," he said. "I'm not going to push you. I know you need the time and the space." He placed a hand on Barry's shoulder, gently squeezing it. "You're used to running away from your problems. I'm sure, even occasionally, the Flash gets tired." With that, he turned on his heels, and left the area.

Sighing, Barry adjusted his case again, making his way at a leisurely walk away from the crime scene. Heading in the direction of the Central City Police Headquarters, he ignored the prickly feeling that suddenly popped up on the back of his neck.

If he didn't normally have the feeling of electricity running through his body, and if for a big chunk of his life he hadn't been stared at, and if just months ago he hadn't found out he had been secretly spied on, the feeling of being watched would've been something to pay attention to.

* * *

 **Somewhere in Central City**

 _Click._ A picture of Joe West climbing out of his vehicle at Central City Police Headquarters filled a small LCD screen.

 _Click._ Joe's picture slid out of frame and was replaced by Cisco Ramon, using one hand to brush his long hair out of his face, a penlight in his mouth.

 _Click._ Iris West at _Central City Picture News,_ a phone up to her ear, pressed into position with her shoulder as she took down notes.

 _Click._ Caitlin Snow in her new office at Mercury Labs, lips forming a line of concentration as she poured over sheets of data.

 _Click._ Barry Allen leaving a crime scene, face set in a firm mask.

"Just one more," a soft, yet full-toned voice said with a satisfied smile, continuing to scroll through the roll on the camera in his hands. "And they have no idea." His smile wilted and he rolled his eyes. "The idiots."

Lifting a hand, he brushed his chestnut brown hair out of his dark eyes, before relaxing against the backrest of his seat. Tapping his thumbs against his camera, he lifted his foot to the edge of the oak desk covered with photo prints, twisting his chair back and forth.

Below him, he heard a door slam and a voice call out, "Jay!"

"Finally." Lowering his foot to the floor, Jay set his camera down. Taking quick strides around his desk the printed pictures fluttered to the floor. Leaving the office, he hurried down the stairs. Upon spotting a blonde-haired man removing his jacket from his shoulders, he asked a single word, "Where?"

"On house arrest," the man replied in a smooth baritone, hanging his coat up in the front closet. As he turned around, now hands free, he scratched at the stubble around his jaw before adjusting his shirt collar. "She's been there since noon today."

"Explains the unusual schedule," Jay replied with a slow nod, crossing his arms over his chest. "On this earth, it seems like the 'millennials' prefer to stay at home more. What a shame: so many ground breaking changes could be made in that time."

"Right, and the anklet has nothing to do with it," the man replied dryly. "If you noticed that before-hand, I wouldn't have had to sit outside their house all day." Jay's face tightened. "Nobody saw me."

"I should hope not," he replied.

"Luckily, they have a Big Belly Burger here. So, it wasn't a huge loss."

"Good. There are a couple more people I need you to locate."

"Sure, no problem." The man shrugged. "It shouldn't take too long. Who am I looking for?"

"I'll let you know as soon as I figure out who will best serve me," Jay replied. "I need to see how Rothstein works out and then I'll go from there." His lips twitched. "But the next time you go to Big Belly Burger, bring me back a milkshake or something."

* * *

 **A/N:** And we're finally in season 2! I hope you're all as excited to read this story as I am to write it. I had started re-watching season 2 episodes again to prepare myself for it. With season 4 starting up a couple of weeks ago, it's kind of fun to look back and see how much has changed with the characters across the four seasons. Thanks for checking this story out.

Confused? Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Need further explanation on anything. Leave a comment!

-Rhuben


	2. I'll Try (For Central City)

**Chapter Two:** I'll Try (for Central City)

* * *

A steaming bowl of macaroni and cheese was placed down in front of Barry, breaking his staring game with the wooden table.

"Long day?" Iris West asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Barry settled back in his seat, giving her a smile of thanks and a nod. "Very," he replied. "This looks great, Iris." It was his favorite dish. His mom used to make the greatest mac and cheese in the world. He and Iris had tried for years to recreate it, but had yet to succeed.

"Go ahead and start," Iris replied, brushing her hair out of her face. She walked around the table and took her usual seat across from him. "Dad will be a little late, and he said not to wait up."

"Ok." Sliding his fork into the warm meal he scooped a chunk of cheesy noodles and slid it into his mouth, closing his eyes as he chewed. The bacon bits and green onions brought the flavors together.

"You've really outdone yourself this time, Iris."

"You looked like you needed the pick me up," Iris replied, tucking herself under the table. "And some time to slow down and enjoy yourself."

"Not much to enjoy," Barry said with a shrug of his shoulders. He shoved forkful after forkful of food into his mouth. "Is there more of this?"

"A whole pot full. Take as much as you want, I already got a bowl for dad." Iris planted her elbows on the table, her hand rubbed the back of her neck. "Do you really think that?"

"That this is good?" Barry asked. He looked up at her over the rim of his bowl. He lifted it higher towards his mouth. "Yeah. You've always been a great cook, Iris."

"You know what I mean," Iris said. Barry ate in silence, scraping cheesy macaroni into his mouth. He hoped she would drop the subject, but he knew Iris just as well as Iris knew him. She had always been able to see through him. As they grew up together, it was something he relied on. It was nice to know that someone knew his every thought and feeling without him having to say anything. She knew when he wanted space or a listening ear. Now, he would have preferred if she wasn't so understanding. "You don't think there's anything to enjoy right now? Not even saving so many people by closing the singularity? Not even knowing you've survived another day?"

Barry set down his bowl, the bottom colliding with the wooden table top with a _thunk_. "Wells is gone," he said. He chewed his last mouthful of food. "He only had certain metas under his belt for his plan." Clearing his throat, he jumped to his feet and traversed to the pot sitting on top of the stove. "Anyone else is your typical run of the mill law breaker. I'm grateful that's all there is." Barry dumped a mountain of macaroni and cheese into his bowl. "Mmm, this smells so good."

"Barry."

"Iris." Barry mimicked her tired tone of voice and started to eat again. "He's gone. We won. End of story."

Iris smiled a close-lipped smile, scoffing through her nose. "Your story won't stop being told for a long time, Barry Allen," she said. "Everyone keeps talking about you."

Barry's gaze shifted towards the ceiling. "This isn't about Flash Day, is it?" he asked with a groan. Iris's eyebrows lifted, but she didn't answer. "Not again. First Joe and Cisco, and now you?"

"It's a big honor," Iris said, "why wouldn't you want to go?"

"Because I'm not the one who closed the singularity," Barry said. He stabbed his macaroni with his fork. It shook and jiggled before it stilled. "Ok? Everyone thinks I'm a big hero, but I'm not."

"Yes, you are," Iris insisted. Barry's upper lip curled before he went back to his food. "You _are_ Barry."

Barry lifted a hand to cover his mouth and let out a single, "Ha!"

"Why is it so hard for you to accept that people believe in you?" Iris asked. "I don't understand."

With quick bites, Barry finished his dinner and dropped the bowl into the kitchen sink. He roughly pulled the faucet of the sink and water splashed out of the bowl. The hem of his shirt soaked up the wayward water, but he barely paid attention to it. Staring out the back window, he tightened his jaw. The funny thing was, he didn't understand why people wanted to believe in him in the first place.

 _I didn't stop the singularity that day,_ he reasoned with himself. _I had caused it because I didn't go along with Wells's plan._ The pads of his fingers turned white as his grip tightened on the sink edge. _The Flash isn't a hero._ The water suddenly shut off and Barry jumped when he realized how close Iris was standing next to him, her facial expression demanding an answer from him.

"Don't," he said quietly, moving away from her.

"Don't what?" Iris asked. She grabbed his arm when he moved to walk past her.

"Don't make me out to be someone I'm not," Barry replied. He pulled his elbow out of her grasp and turned around to face her. "I'm not a hero."

"Yes, you are, Barry."

"A hero doesn't hurt the people they're trying to protect." Iris's eyes widened. They shifted back and forth as she scrutinized him. Barry expelled a deep breath of air, voice suddenly groggy. "You don't know how hard it's been to see you day in and day out knowing how hurt you've been. How sad. How depressed. Knowing that I had a hand in that."

"Oh, Barry." Iris stepped closer to him. Barry instantly backed away. "Eddie decided – "

Barry interrupted her, "You didn't see him." A confused look appeared on her face. "You didn't see the look on his face right before he did it, Iris." With a cough, he cleared his throat. He shifted his weight from foot to foot. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I looked him in the eye, and I didn't move. I could have stopped him, and I did nothing."

"You didn't know what was thinking."

"I saw it in his eyes. He had the gun in his hand, and I could see what it was he was going to do and I just…" Barry looked at his hands and found them shaking and not in his usual electrified way. He shifted faster and faster, legs starting to feel as if they had fallen asleep. He kicked his legs. He wanted to run from her, run from the conversation. Yet, he knew that in doing so, it only meant he could only avoid it until he returned home. "I'm faster than bullets, I could have stopped him. But, I didn't."

"Barry…"

"Just like I didn't do anything to stop Ronnie and Professor Stein from splitting inside the singularity." Barry started to pace, kicking his legs to rid them of the feeling of static build up. He let out an odd laugh. "At least Caitlin did me a favor and left S.T.A.R. Labs. This is the second time she lost Ronnie because of me."

"It's not your fault."

Barry slammed his fist down onto the kitchen counter as he passed it. "The accelerator never would have purposefully been built to malfunction if I had just defeated Wells in the future," he declared, teeth clenched. A lump lifted in his chest. "I hate myself for that. I hate knowing that I've caused so many people so much pain."

Iris reached towards him, and Barry took another step away from her. Tears came to his eyes and he blinked rapidly, trying to hold them at bay. "If I had stopped him in the future, he never would have killed my mom, my dad never would have gone to jail, and I – "

"Never would have lived with me and my dad," Iris said. Her voice cracked. She lifted her hands to cover her mouth before she lowered them again. "It wasn't the best circumstances, but I wouldn't have changed that. We wouldn't have become best friends if that hadn't happened. He may have changed how our lives would have turned out. But, some good things have come from it."

"Good?" Barry repeated, incredulously. "You think it's _good_ that Eddie died? You think it's good that Ronnie's gone? That, again, Cisco and Caitlin are facing unemployment? That, on numerous occasions you had your life threatened?"

"Of course not," Iris whispered. "But, we can't change any of that now. It's happened. We have to move on." Her tongue darted out between her lips and she wetted them. "You and I both know that this Eddie and Ronnie, they wouldn't want you to be like this."

"Like what, Iris?" Barry asked. "Realistic?" Iris's lips shook, but she didn't answer. "I'm not a hero. They are; Eddie and Ronnie. They're the real heroes." He grabbed chunks of his hair. "I don't understand why no one gets that." A tear slipped down his cheek, followed by another, and another. His breath came out in short gasps. "I could have done something. I'm the fastest man alive and I just stood there, Iris. I just stood there." He took in a deep breath and shouted, "I did nothing!" He sniffed. "And I'm so sorry, Iris," he whispered. His head bowed, and he slowly swung it from side to side. "I'm sorry."

Iris was crying with him. "Oh, Barry." She slowly stepped towards him, hands outreached to hold him. He flinched under her touch, but otherwise didn't move. "No one blames you, ok?" she asked. "So, you shouldn't blame yourself."

"I'm the hero of Central City," Barry replied, voice gruff. "You don't see them making a Firestorm day. Or a Visionary day. There isn't a statue being erected in Eddie's honor." His shoulders lifted as he took in a deep breath of air. "Caitlin and Cisco will forever be linked with S.T.A.R. Labs no matter what they do. It'll always be a black mark on their resumes, and they've still done more to help than anyone else knows. They aren't getting the recognition for it."

"None of them asked or ever wanted the recognition, Barry," Iris replied. Barry laughed. "I know you didn't either, but, it's what happened. They've never hated you for it. They've never been envious of the attention because all they wanted was to help you." She used the heel of her palm to wipe her cheeks. "You; the Flash. The man who will do absolutely everything in his power to make sure no one feels even a sliver of the pain you've experienced in your life." Iris gently shook him. "That's why they want to help you. Why they will do everything in their power to keep you safe. Because you inspire them. You inspire everyone to be better. That's why you need to make an appearance at the key ceremony."

Barry stepped away from her, shaking his head. "No," he said. He got stuck on that word. "No, no, no. No. No, I'm not going."

"People believe in you, Barry," Iris said as she watched him increase the space between them. "And so do I. I always have. You know that better than anybody." He turned away from her and made a beeline for the front door. She called after him, "When are you going to believe in yourself again?"

Barry didn't answer: he was already ten blocks away before the front door to the West home had even shut.

Running.

It was the one thing he could do to get away from everyone. Literally: all those years running from school bullies who constantly teased him about the plight of his parents paid off. While he moved faster, faster than the naked eye could see, everyone else slowed down. It was just him and the Speed Force every step of the way. He could ride the lightning and allow it to take him wherever he needed to go.

Right now, that was C.C. Jitters.

Easily slipping past the boarded doors and caution tape, he picked up the tools he had left behind the night before. The smell of fresh wood and sawdust ticked his nose as he spun in a slow circle, surveying the damaged floor space. Even moving as quickly as he did, it would still take a while before the coffee shop was up and running again. It would take even longer if he continued to stare at the damage.

"Let's get to it," Barry coached himself. He zipped around the room, pounding nails, tightening screws, the use of power drills not needed. With the aid of his connection to the Speed Force, he managed to get some of the electrical wiring back up and running by the time he took a break. "Phew. Oh, man." He made a _click_ sound with his mouth as he gazed longingly at the broken-down coffee machines. Even for a speedster, nothing was better than a jolt of caffeine from time to time.

Eyes closed, Barry leaned against the counter. The smell of roasted coffee surrounded him. Laughter and typing on computer keys collided into a wall of familiar noise. He could picture the corner table he and Iris would sit when they wanted to discuss matters privately. The view from the roof stretched out in front of him from where he would meet up with Iris as the Flash. He could see the bright smiles from the baristas that greeted him and every customer, including that of his new-found half-sister, Averey Moore. Her Australian accent could cut through all the chatter; different, yet welcoming all the same.

"Oh, sorry." Barry's eyes shot open and he turned to face the man walking through the back doors, a legal pad in his hands. "I didn't know anyone was going to be here." He let out a low whistle as he looked around the room. "You've done good work here, Barry."

"Thanks," Barry said as Daniel Kingston stepped up beside him. "I've just been working on a few things. What are you doing here?"

"Right now, surveying," Daniel replied, offering Barry his hand. Barry shook his hand before quickly releasing it. "I told the managers that I'd give them an idea of when they'll be able to open. With your help, it looks like they could open real soon." Barry gave him an odd look. "Averey didn't tell you I work in construction?"

"Oh. Yeah, no, of course," Barry replied. "Kingston Konstruction, I remember. I've seen your truck around town."

"You ever consider becoming a contractor, mate?" Daniel asked, taking another look around the space. "Reckon you've got a knack for it."

"Not really, no," Barry replied, putting his hands on his hips, shaking his head back and forth. "Just want to help out. It's kind of depressing; seeing all the damage." He chewed on his bottom lip. "How's—how is Averey?"

"Ask her yourself, hey," Daniel replied. "Offer's still open: you can come over whenever you want. We can only have two visitors at a time, but she'd be happy to have someone drop by." He used the pen in his hand to scratch his jaw. "Haven't had visitors in a few months, yeah? She says it's ok, but I've watched her twist, pull, tug, bite, and try to saw the ankle monitor off her." He let out a heavy sigh. "It's only a little over two weeks left, so…"

Barry nodded.

He wasn't one that really liked staying in one place for so long. Especially now that he had gained his abilities from the particle accelerator accident. Standing still made him feel restless, like he _had_ to move. The idea of staying put was uncomfortable in a way. For someone like Averey, who enjoyed being outside and spent a lot of times travelling, she had to have been chomping at the bit to be able to roam freely. Literally, by the sounds of it.

It was one of the things he found they had in common since meeting her. An equal love for root beer was one of the first.

"I know the feeling," Barry replied. The initial days following his mom's death, he felt trapped in his own home. Too many people with too many comments and too many opinions walked the streets of Central City. He turned to face Daniel and watched him write notes on the legal pad. "How is she doing? Really?"

The tip of Daniel's pen pressed into the paper as it stilled. A muscle in his jaw twitched. "Let's just say her teenage years were easier to handle," Daniel replied, albeit with a hint of a smile. "And that was mainly because she actually _left_ the house. Back then, I only had to wonder if she was going to come home after a day of hanging out with her mates."

"Oh." Barry scratched at his ear, finding himself at a loss for words.

"Are you going to the Flash Day rally?" Daniel asked. He looked up from the notepad and locked eyes with him. "Reckon it's going to be a huge event."

Barry let out a heavy sigh. "Unbelievable. No, I'm –" He cut off the end of his sentence. Averey's parents didn't know he was a metahuman, let alone the Flash. "I mean, no. I don't think so. Everybody's been asking me, though. Why?"

"Ave doesn't have much time left on house arrest," Daniel explained. "She gets one day for three hours Earned Leave every week. She doesn't know it yet, but her mum and I have managed to get her a booth for her photography of the city." He shrugged his shoulders. "Figured it would be a good representation of the city the Flash saved. It'd be nice if you, or Iris, Caitlin, Cisco…maybe stopped by for a bit." He went back to the legal pad in his hands. "If you have the time I mean."

Barry held back a snort. With his abilities, he had all the time in the world. "I don't know if anyone's told you," Barry said, "but I tend to be late for things."

"So, don't be late," Daniel replied with a second shrug.

A scoff slipped past Barry's lips. If only it was that simple. The thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. Maybe it was simple. He had super speed for crying out loud. Being able to sleep in and still get ready for work in a fraction of a second was a bonus. Then again, arriving late to work did take any suspicion of him being the Flash far, far away from him whether anyone had a reason to believe he was or not. No one would believe "perpetually late Barry Allen" would be the "Fastest Man Alive."

"Yeah…" Barry grabbed the back of his neck. "I'll work on it."

"You haven't been doing all this work by yourself, have you?" Daniel asked. Barry shrugged. "I've been working on a lot of sites around the city. They've been completed faster than originally projected. Do I have you to thank for that?"

He forced a laugh, giving himself time to think up an excuse. "I've just been working here," Barry replied. "A lot happened here for me, so…" He looked around the room.

Was it that long ago that he had walked through the doors to greet Iris after he woke up from his coma? That long ago since he had given in to what feelings he had for Felicity Smoak at the time? C.C. Jitters was the first place his mom and dad brought him on his very first excursion into the heart of the city – he had hot chocolate that day and with each mouthful, he would hold it in his cheeks, droplets sliding out of his puckered lips before he swallowed.

"I understand," Daniel said with a nod. "I'll get out of your hair. Just give me a few minutes to look around and you'll have the place to yourself." He headed towards the stairs. Turning around, he started walking backwards. "Just think about what I said, yeah? About Flash Day."

"Sure." Barry replied. "I'll think about it." Lifting the hammer sitting next to him on the counter, he twisted it in his hands. Things moved too slow when others were around. He had too much time to think. Too much time to wonder how things could have turned out differently.

He could see it now: a threat to Central City and Team Flash and the CCPD worked seamlessly together for a win.

With his skills in the forensics department, and with Joe and Eddie Thawne working their magic with witnesses, C.I.'s, and crime databases, half the battle was won. Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow would put their scientific expertise to the test. Not only would they figure out the extent of the meta-of-the-week's abilities, but their weakness as well. He'd go bursting out onto the field with S.T.A.R. Labs connected to him through his communications link.

Averey would join him suited up as Visionary, maneuvering through the city in her Cisco Cycle, complaining about needing to obey traffic laws, yet determined to make her way to the location of the meta as quickly as she could. Ronnie Raymond and Professor Stein, fused together as Firestorm, would charge through the skies. Together, they would throw a melee of fire blasts, hand to hand combat, and super-sonic punches to declare victory.

They'd reconvene at S.T.A.R. Labs to debrief the attack, plug the encounter into the meta-human database, and be on their way to victory drinks at the local bar. Some drunken karaoke may or may not be an accompanying factor. Then it was all just a matter of waiting until the next disturbance to arise to do it all over again.

Ten minutes later, Daniel left the rundown coffee shop, giving Barry a half smile in farewell. Once he was gone, Barry zipped around the building, continuing to rebuild before calling it quits for the night. He stepped back to survey the rest of the damage as he stretched out his arms and legs. Another night or two with now interruptions and the place would be back to normal in no time.

Shutting down all the lights, Barry made sure the tools were back in their proper storage places. As he left the building, his stomach growled, and Barry wondered if there was any more macaroni and cheese he could eat. With his fast metabolism, and all the energy he needed to keep up his speed, the West house was never without food. Thankfully.

Stepping out onto the streets, he surveyed the late-night traffic as Central City wound down after another busy day. The crisp fall air blew past Barry and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a fluttering motion. He gazed upon the Flash Day poster stapled to the wood on the windows. He ripped it down, leaving a chunk stuck to the wood, and read over the details again. He folded the flyer, tucked it into his pocket, and rushed home. Landing on the couch, he propped his feet up and stared up at the ceiling.

"About time you got home."

Barry rolled his head to the side, locking eyes with Joe who sat in the arm chair by the window. "You waited this whole time?" he asked.

"15 years later and you're still surprised?" Joe asked. "You know I can't sleep unless I know you and Iris are safe and sound." Barry smiled. "How did the remodeling go?"

"The what?" The smile froze on Barry's face.

"You don't think people have noticed the Red Streak speeding in and out of buildings every night?" Joe asked with his deep chuckle. He leaned forward in his seat, setting down his now empty bowl of macaroni and cheese. "Just a heads up, Iris is considering doing an article on it." He hummed. "if only she could lock down the Flash for an interview."

"Please no." Eyes closed, Barry lifted his hands to cover his face as he groaned. "I don't need any more press about the Flash."

"Don't worry. I think I talked her out of it."

"Thanks." Barry eyed the empty bowl. "Is there any more left?" Before Joe could answer, he sped into the kitchen and got himself another bowl.

"Are you ever _not_ hungry?" Joe asked, eyeing Barry's bowl of macaroni with curiosity and amazement.

"Lightning fast metabolism," Barry said with a shrug.

"Even as a kid, you barely kept a pound on you," Joe said. "Between you and me, at one point, I started to worry about you." He shook his head back and forth. "What about those energy bars?"

"They're helpful, but they taste like chalk," Barry said, his nose wrinkling. "Except the chocolate ones, those are pretty good. But, I ran out of those a few months back."

"Why don't you ask Cisco to make some more for you?"

"How was work?"

Joe stared at Barry, blinking a couple of times before he decided to go along with the subject change. "Singh screaming," he explained, counting off on his fingers, "stacks of files, paperwork; your average day at the CCPD"

"How do you keep doing it, Joe?" Barry asked as he slowed his eating. He slowly spun his fork in the warm meal. "Going out there day after day despite not having Eddie as your partner anymore?"

"Because it's my job," Joe replied. "Whatever I can do to get Central City back to normal." Barry scoffed. "I'm being serious. It's hard. I can't ignore that. It _is_ hard. It's not something that will just go away in an instant, it will take time. But, I still have a duty as part of the police department to help everyone in Central City feel safe after the singularity. Just like the Flash is still running the streets every day doing whatever he can to stop criminals, whether they're meta-humans or not."

"Yeah," Barry said quietly. "I guess."

"Barry," Joe said, leaning forward in the chair, resting his arms on his knees. "I understand what you're feeling."

"No, Joe, you don't," Barry said. He shook his head. "You keep going on and on about how I deserve the key to the city. I don't. Eddie and Ronnie, do."

"How many times have I watched the Tony Awards with you?" Joe asked. Barry gave him a confused look. "There have been people who accepted awards for those unable to attend, right? How is this different? Central City may be recognizing you, but that doesn't diminish everything they'd done to help you. If we still remember them, they won't be forgotten." Barry's lips twitched. "You can't have it both ways, Barry. You can't do everything you can to keep our 'operation' a secret and then turn around and complain that no one is getting the recognition for it."

"I'm not complaining about them not getting recognition," Barry protested. "I'm just…" His nostrils flared as he let out a sigh through his nose. "I just wish they were still here."

"We all do," Joe replied. The two men sat in silence before Joe plated his hands on his knees, getting to his feet with a groan. He patted Barry on the knee as he shuffled past him. "Good night."

"Night." He tilted his head backwards over the couch. "By the way," Barry said, lips forming a wide smile, "we both know you like watching the Tony Awards more than you let on."

"Yeah, right," Joe mumbled.

"I've come across you singing songs from RENT a time or two," Barry said.

"They have good songs," Joe said, voice lifting into a higher pitch in defense. He started up the stairs, calling back to him, "Go to sleep."

Barry chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. Feeling a poking on his inner arm, he retrieved the flyer from his pocket. "Back to normal," Barry muttered as he looked over the colorful flyer. "Whatever that is. Central City hasn't been normal since the accelerator went online." He went to crumple the flyer between his hands, but stopped when his dad's words slammed into his head: _normal is just another way to say comfortable._

His life had stopped being normal the night his mom was murdered. _He_ wasn't normal anymore. He was Barry Allen; the son of the guy who murdered his wife. That was the catalyst that put everything in his life into motion. He was meant to become the Flash no matter what, even if Eobard Thawne finagled with his life to do so. Whether it was in six years early, or six years late, his life was meant to change.

He _was_ the Flash.

No one else was.

And he was going to accept the key to the city by himself.

* * *

"Do you really have to do that right now?"

Cisco pulled his gaze away from the machine parts in his hands. Lips pursed, he looked over the edge of the illuminated magnifying glass at his brother, Dante, who stared back at him from the couch. "I have to get this done," he replied. "I'm on a deadline."

"So am I!" Dante dropped his pen onto the fan of notebooks, work sheets, and crumpled up balls of paper. Setting his laptop aside, he buried his face into his hands. "I have to have this essay done by tomorrow at noon."

"Ha ha ha, here's an idea!" Cisco said with an over the top smile, "stop talking and the both of us can get our work done." Dante made a face at him. Cisco's eyes widened in annoyance, and he curled his upper lip. He went back to his work only to drop the parts when Dante started talking again.

"You know if you hadn't burned down your old apartment, we wouldn't be getting in each other's way," he said.

"Except we would have because my old apartment was only one bedroom. I don't know if you can count, but this is a two bedroom." Cisco massaged his temples. "How'd you come up with that?" As if he hadn't heard this all before.

His mom was happy to have him home and even made his favorite foods to celebrate – and then took him to Zumba classes to help work off the weight. His dad allowed the use of one of his trucks to help him move everything home. The tricked-out truck used to move meta-humans was kept at S.T.A.R. Labs for possible future use. (Surprisingly, Cisco had moved out with more sci-fi and pop culture memorabilia then he ever remembered buying while living there). Even with the help, and the warm welcome, he had to sit through a few "how could you have been so reckless?" and "we warned you about playing with fire" lectures and blah, blah, blah.

All he could do was shrug and apologize. He was sorry that he had accidentally set his previous apartment on fire. However, he wasn't sorry about why it had occurred. Of course he'd try and find out for himself what kind of metahuman abilities he had, he was an engineer for crying out loud. If Eobard Thawne had never told him that the particle accelerator accident had affected him, too, none of this would have happened.

At least he could rule out that he doesn't have lightning-like powers like Barry. Now it was all just a matter of figuring out what kind of abilities he did have, and how to keep it at bay.

"You would have gotten your deposit back," Dante explained, "and any payment you could have gotten wouldn't have been eaten up by restoring the place. You could have also used it to help pay for movers."

"Why pay for movers when I had you?" Cisco asked with an over the top smile. "To take the elevator and not the stairs? With the plants and boxes of pillows?" His smile faded. "While dad and I busted our humps moving everything else."

"I have a busted knee," Dante said flatly, "in case you forgot."

Cisco frowned. "How could I?" he asked, going back to his work. "Considering I'm somewhat responsible." Dante didn't answer, going back to his computer.

They worked in silence. Keystrokes, the sound of metal striking against metal, and occasional cursing under breaths occasionally broke it. Having managed to get through five months living together, having fights taper off was a big step for them. Starting them had never been an issue. Some could pass it off as brothers being brothers. They knew it was different.

"Flash Day is coming up you know," Cisco said, breaking the silence. He reached for the dish towel that sat next to his elbow. Dante slowly rolled his head to lock eyes with Cisco. "Maybe it'll do you some good to go somewhere other than school. Take a break. It's supposed to be like a giant party."

"You and your parties," Dante muttered.

"Do you want to come with me?" Cisco watched Dante's look of annoyance change to surprise. Even he was surprised he had suggested it. "It could be fun." He started to wipe the grime off his fingers.

"Don't you have to work?" Dante slowly pulled his hands back form is computer. He held them in his lap.

"That's what this is," Cisco replied. He dropped the towel on to his machine. "My next project for the CCPD."

"You don't work at S.T.A.R. Labs anymore?" Dante asked.

"I still work there," Cisco replied. He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. "It's just not as fun." Dante's eyebrows angled towards each other. "I don't work with my friends anymore."

"I thought your friend was the Flash."

"Sssshhhhh!" Cisco made a face. He started looking wildly around the room, checking each corner.

"I doubt anyone would have this place bugged," Dante said.

"You never know," Cisco replied. It wasn't like anyone had expected Eobard to have secretly set up cameras all throughout Central City to watch him and his friends, either. His muscles relaxed, and he slowly shook his head back and forth. "Geeze, bro, you can keep the fact that you had any interest in Melinda Torres a secret but you're going to say _that_ out loud?"

"Are you still on that?"

"I'm just making a point." Dante's jaw clenched. Cisco changed the subject. "Barry's still the Flash. He's just...flying solo lately"

"Why?"

Cisco shook his hair out of his face. "We lost a couple friends when the singularity opened," he explained. "He blames himself; he doesn't want to see anyone else get hurt."

"What about this Flash Day?" Dante settled back against the couch cushions, left hand clamped around his left knee cap. His pants bulged in the shape of his knee brace. "They're saying that Mayor Bellows is giving him the key to the city."

"I've been telling him that he should go – and that we should all get keys because we're all part of Team Flash – but I don't know." Cisco shrugged. "It's ultimately his call. It'd just be nice for him to be recognized."

"Oh." Dante bit down on his bottom lip. "And you still work there? At S.T.A.R. Labs?"

"Yes, I still work there." He started playing with the hand towel. "I'm just the tech advisor for CCPD'S Meta-Human Task Force. A consultant, really. This –" he indicated the machine parts in front of him, "will help them out whenever the Flash is hung up on something." He scoffed. "I should be so lucky they even took me on for this position. I mean, in a way, I helped create the metas. Least I can do is help them figure out how to keep the officers safe, right?"

"Like those cold and heat shields you made?"

"Yeah, like that."

"So, what does this do?" Dante reached for a cane leaning against the arm rest and slowly got to his feet. Taking small steps, he shuffled over to the kitchen table. "How does it help?"

Cisco looked up at his brother, blinking in confusion. "Don't you have an essay you need to write?" Cisco asked.

"What, your big brother can't be interested in your life?" Dante asked with a hint of a smile.

"You can." Cisco slowly nodded his head. "But I've pulled an all-nighter or two to know when people are trying to delay the inevitable bad mark on a grade." He gave Dante a teasing smile in return. "It's usually followed by a brag fest on either how little sleep they got, or how little they studied. That's one for the books; Dante's first F." Dante pulled out one of the chairs and dropped into it. "What are you stuck on, anyway?" He set his cane down onto the table.

"It's for my Fundraising and Philanthropy course," Dante replied

"Ok."

"I'm writing an essay, a paper, as if I'm a donor having to choose from various organizations, community issues, and causes to give money to. I have to follow the news and make a decision based off what I read to choose which I would help, why it's important to me, and how I would help."

" _What about S.T.A.R. Labs_?" was on the tip of his tongue. He didn't allow his mouth to form the words. What was the point if all he would get in return would be a sarcastic answer? "They've been talking about cutting funds for arts and music programs," he said instead.

"Yeah." Dante's voice was muffed as he buried his face into his hands. "The issue is just picking one of them."

"It's just a paper. It's not like you're giving them money, right? No one will be upset if you don't pick them."

"That's not it, mijo." Cisco did a double take. That was the first time Dante had ever referred to him that way – that he noticed. Most times, whenever Dante was complaining about something school related, he would tune him out. Seeing the deep frown on his brother's face, Cisco knew he had to pay attention. Holding his breath, his cheeks puffed up, and he blew it all out in one breath. "This is hard."

"What is?" He rapped the table before picking up his tools, starting to get back to work.

"School."

"School's not that hard."

"Correction, school's not that hard _for you_." Dante made a face. "School's always been easy for you." Then he added, "Everything's always been easy for you."

"Ha!" Cisco dropped the tools in his hands. They bounced off the table and fell to the floor. He didn't bother to pick them up – though his muscles tensed at the thought of his babies being damaged. "You think being your brother is easy?"

"You think being _yours_ is easy?" Dante struck Cisco with a lifted eyebrow, 'you've got to be kidding' look. "You weren't at home, Francisco, you didn't see what the S.T.A.R. Labs fallout was like for us."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was so hard for you," Cisco shot back. "I was too busy trying to dodge the media, and ignore everyone online besmirching my name." He lifted his palms into the air. "But, please, go ahead, tell me how hard it was in the aftermath. Because there's no way I would know."

"You would if you had even bothered to call home and check on us."

"Phones work both ways. I don't remember any of you checking up on me, either."

"Would you have answered even if we did call?"

"Probably not." He paused to think. "Maybe for mom."

Dante pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You see?" he said. "Why even bother if you were going to be so difficult?"

"Maybe because it would have been nice to know my family cared an iota about me," Cisco shot back. "Not just then, but at all."

"That's funny." Dante suddenly spoke so quietly, it threw him off. "We were thinking the same thing about you."

This time, Cisco buried his face into his hands. Pressing his elbows into the wood of the kitchen counter, he slowly took in a breath of air. He held it. Held it until his chest started to burn. Slowly, he let it out.

"What are you stuck on?" he asked, moving his hands away from his mouth. "In your paper." Cisco wasn't sure if Dante was going to answer him. He got out of his chair to gather his tools.

"Making it sound good," Dante finally said to his empty chair. "I wasn't ever much of a writer. I can move my fingers quickly over piano keys, but computer keys…hunt and peck is more my speed."

"I wasn't going to say anything." Cisco reclaimed his seat and gave Dante a teasing smile. _But, the constant_ tap, tap, tap _is driving me nuts._ "Mind if I look?" Dante lifted an eyebrow. "While in school, I've written anything and everything from a journal article, to a book review, to a lab report, to a research paper, to essays. I've even written a business letter or two for S.T.A.R. Labs."

"Not to brag."

Cisco let out a short laugh through his nose. "I think I can help." He set his tools down on the table top. "If you want."

Dante twisted his mouth to the side. "Sure."

They stared at each other, waiting for the other to move. "I'm not getting it," they said in unison. "You get it."

"I have a busted knee," Dante reminded him.

"Which I helped you get medical attention for," Cisco replied. He titled his head to the side. "You stole Melinda Torres from me."

Dante chuckled. "Believe me, I did you a favor. She's the most determined person I know." Cisco moved to protest – Hello! Cisco was determined, too. Not a lot of people would have kept their, pretty much, non-existent job – but Dante continued his explanation. "To a fault. She was always way too serious. You two wouldn't have gotten along. You're too laid back, too fun loving."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Cisco got to his feet and froze. He gazed at Dante with a look of suspicion. "Wait. Are you saying that you regret dating Melinda?"

"I didn't say that," Dante instantly replied. Cisco arched an eyebrow. "What I'm saying is: go get my computer."

Shaking his head, Cisco crossed the room to grab Dante's computer and notebook. "Just so you know," he said, "I'm not doing it because you told me to." He carefully balanced the notebook and pens on top of the computer keyboard. "I'm doing it because I had already planned on it."

"Mmhmm."

"Ok, let's see what you have." He pulled his chair around the table to sit down beside his brother. Scrolling through the opened document, he gazed upon the text. "You have a lot of good in here, you just need to shorten your run-on sentences, and flow your paragraphs together. Basically, you want your essay to convey what you want to say in an organized, yet simple manner."

"I know that," Dante said.

Cisco pressed his lips together, closing his eyes. Blowing air out of his nose, he coached himself to calm down. "Okay." He spent the next ten minutes reading over the paragraphs and making corrections. By the time he was done, the document was filled with yellow highlights, red highlights, and comments added. "Change all of that, and you should be good to go."

Dante rubbed his hands together. "Which one do you think I wrote the best, though?" he asked. Cisco gave him a confused look. "Each paragraph was testing out which organization I'd write about."

"Use all of them."

"The rubric says I can only choose one."

"Realistically, there won't always be just _one_ organization you want to give money to." Cisco patted him on the shoulder. "Especially not when it comes to music. I know how much you care about it. In real life, do you think you'd really be able to just pick one?"

Dante sat quietly in his seat, "Why didn't I think of that?"

"You've always been a follow the rules type," Cisco said with a shrug. "It doesn't hurt to think out of the box from time to time." He dragged his chair back over to his spot to resume his work. "I mean you do it all the time with the cadenzas you perform. Which, by the way, is pretty impressive." Maneuvering his magnifying glass, he looked up find Dante staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Dante replied, shifting his attention back to his computer. Cisco followed suit with his own work. "I just didn't know you paid attention to that."

"All the lessons and recitals I was dragged to," Cisco said with a snort, "Eventually, I would have had to start paying attention." He shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, there's only so many ways I could figure out how to keep myself entertained."

"Right." Dante grabbed the top of his laptop with his hands, fingers tapping against the back of the screen. He pointed with his index fingers. "What is that, anyway?"

"It's going to be an ankle…thing," Cisco replied. "The B.O.O.T. Strap this baby to a meta's ankle, and their abilities will be halted for as long as it's on. Making it easier for the police to handle them."

"Like a ball and chain?"

"It's where I got the idea from it. And we kind of used the same tech with the metas at –" He cut himself off. Dante may know he worked with the Flash and knew he had some contact with metas in general. But he didn't know that they were housing metahumans at S.T.A.R. Labs. "At any scene the Flash catches them at."

"What if the Flash can't get close enough to the meta to use it?"

"He's fast, of course he will."

"But, what if he can't?"

Cisco sucked in a breath of air through his nose as his hands stilled. "Do you have a suggestion?" he asked. "Or are you going to keep telling me how this could fail." He lifted his head and watched as Dante's lips parted just slightly.

"You said this was for the CCPD, right?" Dante asked. Cisco nodded. "So, do you want it to be something they can only use after the Flash incapacitates metas? What if he's held up elsewhere?" He reached his hands up to adjust his shirt collar. Cisco instantly recognized the movement – for someone who always seemed as put together as Dante, he always fussed with his collar when he grew self-conscious. Others would think it was to assure his perfect outward appearance, but he knew better. "What if you make it, I don't know, like a gun? Or a taser? A long range, thing?"

Cisco stared at Dante, silently blinking. Why didn't he think of that? It sounds so simple. It _was_ so simple. It was funny how he could overlook something so Heat and cold shields were easy to remake, and the police department needed as much of them as they could have at their disposal. But, it was hard to get a jump on what type of advantage they would need against metahumans until they appeared. It took a while, and many dodged calls from Captain Singh, for Cisco to come up with something like the B.O.O.T.. And he still wasn't sure if it would be something the CCPD would want more of. Not until he was able to test it out.

Dante shifted in his seat. "It was just an idea," he muttered. "I don't know if it helps. Or if your friends could come up with anything better."

"No, no, it's helps," Cisco reassured him. "Thanks."

It would have been different at S.T.A.R. Labs. Caitlin would order Chinese food for late nights where they would be working on their own individual projects. Whenever they worked through whatever block they had, they'd go out for ice cream to celebrate another job well done. After a particularly tough week, hanging out at each other's apartments to unwind with junk food and movies.

The last time they got together, Caitlin was dropping the news that she had taken a position at Mercury Labs. He had known something was on her mind. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes when she reassured him that everything was "okay." She didn't point out all the medical inaccuracies, laugh at the humorous parts – even though they would have seen the movie hundreds of times already – or even asking questions through movies she hadn't seen before.

"I'm trying to avoid telling you something," she had said after his repeated, "Are you _sure_ you're okay?" She looked so relaxed, with her usual work attire traded in for a nice shirt and jeans – something she would never be caught in at S.T.A.R.L. Labs. "I should have known you'd see right through me. I just didn't want to spoil the evening."

The movie had been paused, a scenic view of some fictional California city projected on screen. For a moment, he wished he could crawl into the TV and be a member of that community if it meant he could avoid what it was that she was going to say next. For he had an idea of what she was going to say. All the hushed phone calls, and quick closing of web browser windows would finally have an explanation. One he wasn't sure he was ready to hear.

"I'm hanging out with you," Cisco had said, "nothing can spoil that." He smiled a patient smile, giving her permission to tell him everything.

"That's sweet, Cisco." For a minute, he received the full force of her genuine smile before it disappeared. "But, this might." She brushed her hair off her shoulder and curled her knees up to her chest. "Ever since…everything, Barry leaving, and Averey on house arrest, and Ronnie." She cleared her throat. "S.T.A.R. Labs just doesn't feel the same anymore."

If he was being honest, it had never felt the same before the particle accelerator went online. Even then, with their ever-changing daily lives, she did her best to keep a sense of normality in her life. As soon as she got to work, she would greet Cisco and check her phone and work messages, before taking inventory of the medical lab, setting up for the day, and working on projects. It was the opposite order when the work day ended.

Even the slightest change in her routine would have her frazzled for the rest of the day.

And the past year or so was a drastic change in her routine. He didn't blame her for feeling unsettled.

"You know Mercury Labs was one of the places I was looking at when I was filling out applications," she had continued, talking over the silence he refused to fill. "Both Dr. McGee and Dr. Wells had spoken extensively with me about working with them. In the end, I thought S.T.A.R. Labs had more to offer."

"Now Mercury Labs is giving you another chance," he had said.

Caitlin slowly nodded, watching him closely. His heart sank. And then lifted in excitement for her. And then sank again. "I can't be at S.T.A.R. Labs, anymore," she had said. "I've tried. I just don't think I can try anymore." He stayed silent. "Say something."

Cisco had swallowed, swirling the beer bottle in his hand, watching the liquid spin in a circle. Caitlin had been right beside him through everything: his first day at S.T.A.R. Labs, whenever Hartley had some salty comment to throw his way, the accident, helping Barry through his coma, everything that happened the last year. It would be hard to go through that without coming out as friends, and she had become more than that. She was his best friend.

Best friends were supportive of each other, no matter what.

"Just remember…" Cisco took a sip of beer to try and clear the lump that had formed in this throat, "you won't ever meet anyone as cool as me."

Caitlin laughed, her body relaxing against the pillows of her couch. "No, of course not," she agreed.

"Then what we are we still doing here?" Cisco had asked. His stomach had twisted at the thought of his longest friend, leaving. Despite their best efforts, Barry was clearly doing things on his own now. He had to accept that. Like he had to accept that this was the best move for her. "Let's go celebrate."

"This is all the celebration I need," Caitlin had reassured him as she turned her attention back towards the TV. "Play the movie."

He did. They acted like it was any other weekend, but when he had left that afternoon, it felt like it would be the last time he saw her.

So far, that turned out to be true. Besides the occasional "How are things going?" texts, they barely talked over the past few months. He reasoned with himself that she was just busy. That it wasn't anything to take personally. It didn't mean he missed her any less.

"Hey." With a _click,_ he turned off the light to his magnifying glass and sat back in his seat. Dante peered at him over the top of his computer. "I can finish this later. You want to go get ice cream or something? Just take a break?"

Dante looked thoughtful. "You buying?"

"Don't I always?" Cisco asked, deadpan.

"Then I think I could swing for a jumbo cone." Dante smiled. "Who can pass up free ice cream?"

"You know what they say about the size of your ice cream cone." Cisco rounded the table and said in a sing-song voice, "I think you're overcompensating for something." He skirted out of Dante's way, narrowly avoiding a swat on his bottom from his cane, laughing maniacally as he did so.

He may miss his friends, but getting on his brother's nerves never got old. After all, he was the baby of his family, it was basically his job. And his parents wanted them to try and find some bond with each other. What's a better way to bond than to drive each other crazy?

At least they were trying.

* * *

 **A/N:** Family scenes are ones I enjoy writing whether that's with Barry and the Wests, Barry, Henry and Averey, or with Cisco and Dante. Because they're all different dynamics, it's fun to do. Writing Dante and Cisco here was fun, and their relationship is something I'm excited to explore in this story. And, for those waiting, the next chapter has more of the broken Team Flash interacting with each other.

As a heads up, I may be moving updates for this story to mostly stick with Fridays to give myself a break on the weekends. Especially as this holiday season really starts to ramp up.

That being said: enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Need further explanation on anything? Leave a comment.

-Rhuben

.

 **Review Replies:**

 _gods-own:_ Thanks for continuing on to read this story. Hope you enjoy it.

 _Ethan:_ No, Averey's parents don't know she's a meta. I had another section in this chapter with Averey going a bit into that more, but I didn't feel it fit the overall tone/flow of this chapter so I moved it to the next one. It's actually a poached egg that Averey had, which is why it's runny.

 _Guest:_ I'm glad you enjoyed that section. I found it a bit hard to believe that with Cisco working at CCPD and with Barry going in and out of STAR Labs as the Flash that they wouldn't run into each other at some point - despite in show, Cisco stating he tried talking to Barry about Flash Day more than once. I wanted to show even a small moment between the two of them.

 _spinquin142:_ You're on the right path with Belle Reve, but the Royal Flush Gang isn't a huge plot point in this story in the sense that Averey is dealing with them again. I can see why you're worried about it, though. It's explained a bit more in the next chapter so I can't wait to see your thoughts on it. Thanks for reading and reviewing. It's a little weird to say, but I really enjoy writing Barry going through such a huge range of emotion/in so much pain. Grant does an exceptional job showcasing it on screens, that I want to try and keep that same feel in my fic.

* * *

 **Review replies from last chapter of In a Flash:**

 _Ethan:_ Jury's still out on who would win between Green Arrow and Flash for me. At this point, Oliver would know how Barry is as a fighter and a vigilante, but Barry does have that speed. Yes! Cisco did walk Caitlin (partially) down the aisle. I originally had it so that Clarissa (Stein's wife) was at the wedding and had done it, but changed it to Cisco at the last second. Dim Sum was only mentioned briefly as Eddie's favorite food in the last episode.

 _gods-own:_ Thanks for sticking with my story all the way through. I'm glad you're enjoying this so far.

 _spinquin142:_ I'm glad you picked up on that. Of course Joe and Iris are the closest people that Barry could go to, but despite everything Dr. Wells is still someone to Barry that had been a huge part of his life. Despite Barry having that much hatred for the man, he still wanted to have a truthful conversation with him as Wells, despite being so many steps ahead of Barry, is one person that he could tell absolutely everything to. In regards to Averey going after Gavin, simply put, and this is shown more in _Out of Focus,_ it was partly her superhero duty, and partly a drive to turn the tables on him and to have power over him


	3. Man in Motion

**Chapter Three:** Man in Motion

* * *

 **Somewhere in Central City**

Jay twisted back and forth in his chair, staring at the newest issue of _Central City Picture News_ fanned out on the table. Lacing his fingers together, he set his elbows on the table, peering downwards at the large heading: CENTRAL CITY FACTORY MAN FOUND DEAD, IDENTIFIED. A picture of police and medical presence outside loading doors, sheet covered stretchers in the forefront accompanied the headline.

Al Rothstein was dead, and Jay didn't believe it for even a fraction of a second.

How stupid was this man to think that he really could try and pull something like this? On one hand, he had to admit, it was a smart thing to do. Smart for this Earth, maybe. Not in the genius sense, but to have someone so desperate think something through that clearly? He had to give some props. Some.

The door slammed open followed by a rush of wind that blew the newspaper off the table. Jay watched the papers flutter to the floor. Slowly. So very slowly. Massaging his temples, he looked over at the blond-haired man that strode into the room.

"Do you have him?" Jay asked.

"Yep," the man replied. "Thought he could hide, but it didn't take too long to find him. He's waiting for you."

"Great, thanks," Jay said. He got to his feet, but didn't move towards the door. He took the time to stretch his arms across his chest, over his head, and behind his back. Then he stretched his legs. Sighing, he felt a jolt of electricity start in his legs before flowing all throughout his body. Perfect. "Let's get started then."

A fraction of a second later, the newspapers fluttering to the floor for a second time due to his quick movements, Jay stood in front of the man, adjusting the collar of the black suit stretched taut over his body. Sliding a clawed hand down the front of his suit, his mouth twisted into a snarl as his fingertips touched the tilted lightning bolt on his chest. With a growl, he reached for clump of material sitting on the back of his neck, and pulled his mask down over his face.

Vibrating his vocal chords, a monstrous, demonic-like voice filled the air. "Let's have a chat with our visitor." The man moved towards the door and Jay lifted a hand into the air. He nodded his head towards the newspapers and the man let out a sigh, rolling his eyes. "Now, now. It's only fairy you pick it up. After all, you've made this mess."

Making a clicking sound with his mouth, the man reached his hands up to adjust the collar of his shirt. Removing a chord from around his neck, he gripped the end in a fist. _Woosh._ A blue flame appeared over his hand, licking up his wrist, dancing up his arm. He didn't recoil but glanced at the flame with fascination. Jay wondered if the man was going to going to caress it lovingly. Then, he swung it to the side, pointing his fingers towards the newspaper.

The flames shot off his arms and enveloped the newspaper, twisting and warping the paper. Pops and crackling sounds filled the air, followed by the smell of smoke. When the last scrap of paper blackened, the flames disappeared. Jay watched as the man turned his hand around, palm facing himself. He flexed his fingers and curled them one by one downwards until he formed a fist, and the blue flame was extinguished.

As soon as the flames were gone, Jay sped out of the room, a blue color surrounding the edges of his vision as he did so. Up and down the stairs, he quickly checked the rooms of the house before finding Al Rothstein huddled in the corner of a barren basement room. Then he was pinned against the wall, one of Jay's hands clutched tightly around his neck, tips of his claws poking just lightly into his skin.

Al's eyes widened, face quickly turning a bright red. His meaty hands gripped Jay's wrist. Jay could feel Al's muscles tightening beneath the skin as he tried in vain to remove the hand from around his neck. A moment later, they relaxed, and he slumped against the wall. Jay leaned in menacingly, keeping his eyes trained on the quivering man beneath him. For someone who could become such a behemoth, he certainly was a little quivering mess. How pathetic.

"You thought you could escape from me?" Jay asked. Al shook his head from time to time. "You thought you could pull a silly little trick on me?" He drew out his words, his esses coming out in an extended expulsion of air. "A trick that failed."

"No, of course not."

"And yet…you tried."

"I'm sorry."

"Are you? You remember our deal…don't you?"

"Yes, yes, I do. I was just, just – ack." Al's tongue pushed out of his mouth when Jay tightened his grip around his neck. The points of his claws pressed into his skin, small beads of blood slipping out onto the black gloves. "I was just making it easier! Easier for you." Jay loosened the grip on Al's throat. The redness of Al's face instantly disappeared as he took in as deep breaths of air as he could. "There's already one of me here, right? With him out of the way – " He swallowed thickly and broke into a coughing fit.

Jay released Al and he slumped to the floor. Eyes squeezed shut, Al's chest heaved, and he pushed himself up into a seated position. "With the other me out of the – out of the way, I could buy you more time," he explained.

"Or you could have slipped away from me. Undetected."

"No." Al's voice cracked. He looked pleadingly up at Jay. "No, no, that's not what this was. There would be no trace of whoever could kill the Flash. Even if they got a glimpse of my face, once I'm back on Earth-2, there'd be no one here to blame." His lips quivered as he waited for Jay's response. "No one would have a clue about what happened. You'd have free reign."

Jay didn't answer right away. Instead, he grabbed onto a handful of Al's shirt and lifted him up into the air, until Jay was staring up at the man. "Well, since you seem to have all of the answers…" He slowly lowered the man until they were nose to nose. Slowly, Jay tilted his head to the side. "Let's put your plan to the test."

Roughly, he pulled Al forward. When he started stumbling, Jay turned and shoved him hard towards the door. Al's heavy footsteps nearly shook the room as he tried to catch his balance. With a fearful glance over his shoulder, he hurried out of the room, side stepping the man who was leaning against the door jamb.

He, too, was wearing a suit, a mask pulled over his face. The dark blue, black, and white material formed to every muscle in his body. The white of his mask stretched down to his shoulders, were it connected with the black, looking like black flames stretching up his body. A swatch of dark blue stretched up his chest, forming the tip of a lightning bolt up that pointed to a circular section with what looked like a jewel sitting in the center.

Jay removed the mask from his head, sighing as the cool air hit his face. The man did the same, sliding a gloved hand over his blond hair. "Malcolm, get in to position."

Malcolm nodded. "You got it."

* * *

"How's the work coming?"

"Well, I finally got control of Madagascar in _Pandemic_." Averey leaned to the side and planted her elbow on the table top. "That was a lot of work." Propping her chin up with her fist, she gave Daniel an over the top smile as he entered the employee break room of C.C. Jitters. "I'd say that's a highlight, yeah?"

"I wouldn't know, but I'll take your word for it," he replied.

"You should," Averey insisted, "because once I got Madagascar, New Zealand closed its bloody ports and I couldn't get my virus to spread. Reckon they have to keep their sheep alive somehow." She shook her head. "Those damn Kiwis."

Daniel laughed in agreement. "You entered in all of the data I gave you this morning?" he asked as his laughter died down.

Averey slapped her hand down on the stack of papers beside her. "Inventory, prices for said inventory, financial statements, bank statements, and what jobs still need to be completed," she rattled off, "all inputted and accounted for. And!" She turned the laptop around to face him. "All coordinated by contracted businesses."

Daniel leaned against the table, taking a good look at the spreadsheets in front of him. "You even included pictures of the businesses, addresses, and contact information," he said. His eyebrows lifted, impressed. "Nice work, Aviator. And this didn't take long?"

Not for her. All she had to do was take one good look at the paper and it was all instantly saved in her long-term memory, waiting to be recalled whenever she needed it. It was a bonus to her abilities, but unfortunately, it also meant that she got her work done quickly and had nothing else to do while she waited.

She couldn't complain too much: if it wasn't for her working at Daniel's construction company, the only time she'd be allowed out of the house was for Earned Leave. Three hours a week, or spending time outside in the backyard, did not and would not cut it. At the same time, the work she was could be looked at as community service. If she couldn't go out as Visionary, helping the city rebuild in some other way was a great alternative.

"Not really." She turned the computer back towards herself. "When I was done, I just played around on the computer." She gazed curiously at him. "Did you always want to do this? Construction?"

"No." Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. He sat down on the corner of the table. "It's just what I grew up around. My grandparents used to own a farm and I'd go help every break from school, and for a few months in the summer. My parents had this rule: I'd get a couple days at the start or end of the week to hang out with my mates, otherwise, I was with my family, helping wherever they needed me. I learned plumbing, electrical work, taking care of the animals, heaps of stuff." He shrugged his shoulders. "It made choosing a job and deciding to go get a degree in business, easy. Figured after a while, I'd 'retire' and open a hardware store." He gave her a suspicious look. "You didn't Google yourself again, did you?" Averey lifted her eyebrows. "Last time you did, you deflected like this."

"No, I was just editing some pictures." _I also didn't scour the newspapers for my name, either._ Not that she didn't have to work hard to find any sort of blurb with her name in it. Lowering the window of the spreadsheet, she brought up the multiple windows filled with pictures. "I've had a back log I needed to do, anyway."

Daniel moved around the desk to stand behind her. He kissed the back of her head. "These are really good," he said.

"They'd be better if I had real equipment," Averey replied, "flash heads, some filters, and all of that." She pushed a sigh out through her nose as she focused her gaze on the window of pictures from Caitlin and Ronnie's wedding. "Look. These could be better."

"They look fine to me," Daniel replied. "I like this one, especially." He pointed towards the computer screen (at Averey's favorite picture – before the ceremony had begun and Caitlin was lounging back in her chair in her office at S.T.A.R. Labs, the lights of the vanity casting a warm golden glow on her face, her office and medical supplies slightly out of focus in the background) and Averey pushed his hand away.

"You'll leave smudges, don't touch!" she declared. She even cleaned her phone screen as often as she could, fingerprints bothered her so much. While others could look past them, and even get used to them, they stood out to her. More so than the cracks on the screen of her phone.

"Sorry. I'm just saying these are good, yeah?"

"Yeah, I guess."

She hadn't touched them. Cycling through the pictures was as far as she had gotten. Subsequently, it would lead through cycling through the pictures she had sneakily taken of Eddie and Iris becoming engaged. Whenever she started to work on pictures, she would remember how special the day was, to how tragic, to how distant things were between her and everyone else. Plus, with the deaths of Ronnie and Eddie, would there ever be a good enough time to present wedding and engagement photos?

With a couple rapid clicks, the windows were closed and a roll of a woman and her son in the fall leaves, sipping steaming apple cider, and pressing their rosy cheeks together took its place.

"Seems like you're done with everything here, yeah?" Daniel asked, reaching over Averey's head to close her laptop. "Let's go. When we get back, you can jump in and help us build." Averey made a whining noise, but got up to gather her belongings anyway, making sure to grab her sunglasses. "I already told you; just because you're stuck at home doesn't mean it's a vacation."

Both he and her mom had warned her about it, the day she had the ankle monitor strapped on her. They kept her word. If she couldn't get to the gym (which was rare as she had to schedule it for her Earned Leave way in advance), Daniel had her working out in the backyard. Cardio, calisthenics, kickboxing, and even running soccer drills were rotated through. Ellie made sure their daily work and probation schedules were being followed, payments were being made, and visits were

"Are you sure this isn't just a way for you and mum to keep an eye on me?" Averey followed Daniel through the cluttered Jitters, talking over the loud banging of hammers and _whirs_ of saw blades. The smell of fresh cut wood swirled around her nose as her shoes kicked up the sawdust covering the floor.

"Even if it was – which I'm neither confirming or denying – can you blame us?" Daniel asked as he stepped outside, holding the door open for her. She climbed into the passenger seat of his truck and slammed the door shut behind her and pulled the seatbelt across her chest. Once he was buckled in, Daniel turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the curb. "At the hotel, you said you were going to be right back before chasing after Barry, and then you didn't. When that thing opened up downtown – "

"Singularity."

"Right, that. When the singularity opened, we tried calling you and you didn't answer. Your mum and I had no idea what was happening or what had happened to you. We knew you had friends at S.T.A.R. Labs and early news reports were saying it was coming from that direction." He rubbed his jaw, little hairs scratching against his fingers, the other hand tightly gripping the top of the steering wheel. "And that was all after hearing about your run in with the law. We're just worried."

"I know. I didn't mean to scare you." In fact, her parents were on her mind when she re-entered the Pipeline that night.

Averey had stared into the singularity, wanting nothing but for Barry to speed in and take her out of the building. This had been the most reckless decision of her life. Her stomach had churned, and she had swallowed repeatedly. Once she had climbed down into the Pipeline, she had immediately been swept off her feet.

As she slid along the ground, Averey used one arm to cover her face from flying debris, the other outstretched to grab onto the metal lining of the Pipeline tunnel. Pain erupted in her lower back as her legs were lifted off the floor, bending her spine backwards further and further as the seconds passed. Then she was thrown through the air, rolling on the floor, side throbbing and burning after a chunk of the building's air vent collided with her.

"Ohhhh." Curling into the fetal position, wind whipped past her. Dust, dirt, and small pieces of glass scraped across the exposed skin on her cheek and back of her neck. Rolling on to her stomach, she used her forearm, and the tops of her boots to push and pull herself across the Pipeline flooring as her eyes zeroed in on one of the access hatches.

Upon reaching it, she opened the door, and grabbed onto the edging, pulling herself forward, away from the pull of the singularity. Down, down, she climbed until she dropped to the floor. "Gavin," she called, turning around to face the wall of metal beams, insulation, and dry wall that shifted, squeaked, and creaked with every shake of S.T.A.R. Labs.

Releasing the ladder, she took quick steps over to the pile of rubble and started climbing through it. Jagged edges of broken, twisted metal stuck in her clothes, tugging her back as she made her way further into the room. "Gavin!" No response. On her next inhale, dust and dirt flew into her mouth, and she bent over, coughing wheezing, and sneezing. On a hard sneeze, she squeezed her eyes shut, and a beam of purple light shot out of her eyes.

The bright purple light illuminated the darkened corners, bouncing around the tight space before it disappeared. For a moment, Averey spotted a figure draped against a fallen beam. Squeezing through a tight space, she hurried over to the still figure. She grasped the figure carefully, lifting it up to be greeted with a bloody Gavin Turner. One eye closed due to the blood sliding down his forehead, over his eye, past his cheek, and down to his chin, Gavin squinted at her.

He spat. Blood and spittle landed on her face. Droplets landed on the screen of her veyesor. "What…the fuck…are you doing?" he wheezed. His words jumbled together from his cut, partially swollen lips.

"Mate. Only a fucking idiot would try and climb out of here without their hands," Averey replied. Gripping under his armpits, she helped him finagle out of the tight space. The meta-dampener handcuffs emitted a light blue light, illuminating his scratched and bloody hands. "Come on."

"How are we going to get out, Einstein?" Gavin asked.

 _Even with his head bashed in, he can't waste a second to get a dig in._ Averey chewed on her bottom lip as she looked around the shaking space. With his limited hand use, he didn't have a lot of range of motion. The ground gave a large lurch and Averey stumbled sideways. Gavin dropped backwards onto a metal beam, falling into the floor.

How were they going to get out? With each shake, more of the building broke apart and crashed down around them. A loud, metallic clang, made her jump. Time was running out. "Think Ave, think!" Pushing herself away from the wall of rubble, she shot an ocular blast at a chunk of collapsing ceiling, knocking it away from them. Chunks went flying in every direction, and she moved to cover Gavin's body with her own.

She looked around the room from one potential exit to the next. How far along did the access tunnel go? How much was intact and how much were under rubble? Would moving through the tunnels put them closer towards the singularity? Even with her telescopic vision, if she could get enough of a clearing to see into the dark tunnels, she wouldn't know if they could traverse it unless they tried.

Then she was being pressed into the floor. A heavy weight collapsed on her back. Gavin screamed in pain. With every exhale, her body was compressed even more. It got harder and harder to draw breath.

They needed to get outside. Barry would find a way out. What would Barry do? Her throat burned. Closing her eyes, she tried to block out everything as it crashed around them, block out the crushing weight on her body, the feeling of Gavin's blood soaking into her suit, block out the noise...

…It all faded away…

…It was still…

…a second later, it rushed back. Louder. The weight was gone. She could breathe. Wind pulled at their hair and clothes and Averey sat backwards on her heels, finding herself outside of S.T.A.R. Labs. Caitlin, Cisco, Joe, Iris, and Professor Stein were on the plaza, staring upwards and Averey followed their gaze, spotting Barry instantly. A red-orange light circled the opening of the singularity.

"What the fuck!" Gavin's voice snapped her attention back to him. Chest heaving, she stared at him, waiting for an explanation. How did they get out? "What did you do?"

She didn't know. How could they have been in one place one second and then another, the next? She knew what it felt like to have Barry speed her from one location to the next. She didn't suddenly grow the same ability as a speedster. But they were out, and she had done it.

"You're welcome," she said, looking down at Gavin who was sitting back on his heels, palms pressed to his head. His eyes slid towards her in a glare, but he didn't say anything. "Now you owe me. And believe me, I expect to be paid in full." His glare intensified but he allowed himself to be hauled to his feet and shuffled across the plaza, calling to Caitlin for medical help.

A semi-truck blared it's horn as it sped past them, pulling Averey out of her deep thoughts. Leaning her head against the window, she watched the city streets shoot past. The damage of the city lessened as they passed each building. People were smiling, and engaging in small talk on the streets. It was almost like a division in the city; one side, people were picking up the pieces and rebuilding the city, and on the other, nothing ever happened.

It was all without her.

"And then after the memorial service at the CCPD," Daniel continued and Averey zeroed in on his words, "you were arrested at the hotel."

"And all I wanted were damn bacon cheese chips from room service," Averey said with a wistful sigh, rolling her head on her neck to face him. Daniel's lips parted into a smile. He ran his fingers around his lips and chin, before covering his mouth with his palm, as if physically trying to keep a laugh in. Briefly glancing away from the road, he put his hand on top of her head, mussing her hair. Making a face, Averey batted it away. "I said everything would be ok."

And she meant it. The arrest occurred a couple days after Eddie's memorial service at the CCPD. The singularity had been closed and Central City was in the beginning stages on pulling itself back together. She had tried reconvening at S.T.A.R. Labs with everyone, but by then it had already become even more of a shell than what it was before. Staying in the hotel with her parents, she was able to hide under the covers and block out the world around her.

But, it was a nice service. She had never seen a police service before, but liked the sense of comradery and support everyone had for each other. A few fond "Pretty Boys" were thrown around, but everyone in attendance had nothing but good things to say about their fallen officer. Eddie Thawne had certainly made an impression amongst his colleagues and friends.

Afterwards at the hotel, there was a strong, yet rapid knock on the door. A loud "CCPD, OPEN UP!" shortly followed. And then Captain Singh was in the room, apologizing, and explaining to her that he had held off for as long he could. And then shew as in handcuffs. And then she was being pushed into the back of a police car. "We're right behind you, Ava," Ellie had said as she simultaneously put on her shoes and swung her purse over her shoulder. "Don't worry," Daniel had added, rubbing soothing circles on his wife's back. All the while, Averey promised her parents that everything was going to be ok, and that she was ready to go with them. All with a brave smile.

"So far, everything's turned out the best we could hope for," Daniel agreed. "But to have everything thrown at us so quickly…" Averey adjusted her sunglasses, looking up and down the streets at each corner they passed. Was that a streak of red she just saw? No, it was a car turning the corner. And a jogger. And a little girl toddling quickly away from her mother. "We've been out of your life for three years, we just want to be a part of it again."

Averey nodded her head, still looking around at everyone they passed, a hint of a smile coming to her face. Why she ever thought they'd remove themselves from her life over everything she had done was beyond her. Ellie and Daniel Kingston were incredibly supportive. Whether she got into fights at school, failed exams, stayed out late with no warning, or had been arrested twice and was involved with a gang, they did whatever they could to help.

At the same time, it would make her feel a whole lot better if just once they would yell at her. Or tell her how disappointed they were in her. Something _._

"Speaking of your pictures, though…" Daniel glanced over his shoulder before switching lanes. He slowed the truck as he rounded the first corner they came upon. "Do you have any more jobs in Keystone lined up? You haven't been that way in a tick."

"No." Averey watched the Gem City Bridge slide out of view. "I stopped taking jobs and asking for darkroom times since I'm this close to house arrest being done. I can edit all the pictures and stuff at home, and I didn't want to have to worry about being late or missing a visit from my P.O. So…"

Wait. Behind her sunglasses, Averey widened her eyes, blinked once, and zoomed her vision in on the group of people on the corner of the street. Many were on their phones as they waited for the indicator to cross; some were checking for oncoming traffic, leaning forward to prepare to jay walk across; but one person was staring right back at her.

A man. With blond hair. Blue eyes. And a circle beard/goatee combo made from stubble. A face she would recognize anywhere. Eddie. Averey's chair legs scraped against the concrete as she shifted in alarm, sliding her vision to focus on the lone figure even more. It was like he was standing right in front of her. Like she could reach out and touch him.

"Aviator!"

"What?" Averey tore her gaze from across the street, blinking repeatedly. Angling her head upwards, for a moment, Daniel's face was super imposed in front of her (all she could see was the tops of his eyebrows and giant swatch of skin along his forehead) before her vision corrected itself. "What? What?" She glanced back at the street corner. The group of pedestrians were gone and so was the blond-haired man. "Sorry, mate. What?"

"I was asking if you had heard from Barry lately?"

"Uh, no, not really," Averey replied. _I haven't even seen him, either._ "Last I talked to him, I Venmo-ed him money for my part of dad's Father's Day gift. Why?"

"I had run into him when I went to survey Jitters to get an idea of the kind of work that needed to be done," Daniel replied. Averey blinked repeatedly. "He's been doing some work around the place. I was asking if he planned on going to Flash Day, but he didn't seem to into it."

 _Not surprised._ Averey stayed silent and Daniel maneuvered his vehicle into an empty spot on the street.

"We're here." Daniel replied switching off the car, sliding his keys into his pocket. "Get out and close your eyes."

"Where are we going, anyway?"

"It's a surprise."

Her upper lip curled. "You know I hate surprises," she muttered. She did as she was told nevertheless. "What about work? Does my P.O. know?"

"I've told everyone to stop at the hour and take the rest of the day off," Daniel explained. "And we've already gotten this planned out with your probation officer. They will be where we're going, so you don't have to worry."

The rest of the way to wherever they were going, Daniel gave her directions. While she followed them, she didn't need his help. Averey knew Central City like the back of her hand; she could picture the streets down to a T and could migrate it without any problems. She knew where the tree roots warped the concrete, where the store awnings would dump gutter water further than pedestrians anticipated, how far out she had to walk to miss the city trash cans, and where the curbs dipped unevenly. She knew the city well enough to know that they were heading towards –

"Central City Park?" Averey asked. The temperature dropped as they stepped through the tree line. The smell of wood and dirt reached her nose. "Why are we here?"

"You'll see." Daniel took her hand and grasped his elbow. "And how'd you know that?" She could picture him frowning. When he waved his hand in front of her face, a shadow cut through the sunlight hitting her face. "You're not peeking, are you?"

"No. Promise."

They continued walking in silence until Daniel grabbed her shoulders, bringing her to a stop. "Ok, we're here. Open your eyes."

Averey's jaw dropped when she saw her pictures printed, framing a white tent. CENTRAL CITY-SCAPE adorned a banner gently waving in the breeze. A stack of prints sat on the corner of the table, others carefully aligned in a display bin. Red, burgundy, and yellow balloons were tied to the metal poles. On one side of the booth was a t-shirt stand, on the other was a stand of foam lightning bolts, and headbands with the flash logo printed on them, swinging on the springs they were glued to. People walked past talking excitedly wearing red t-shirts with the Flash logo printed on them, eating red cotton candy, and hot dogs with mustard forming a lightning bolt on them.

Flash Day.

"Surprise!" Ellie threw her hands into the air. Taking quick steps around the table, she looped an arm around Averey's shoulders, giving it a squeeze. "Do you like it? I had to go through your things to get the pictures, but I think they turned out nice, yeah?"

"It's great," Averey replied, resting her head on her mom's shoulder. "Thanks heaps. Nah, yeah, I love it." Lifting her head, she bounced on her toes. "You're a legend." She hurried over to the booth and looked at the pictures, carefully touching the edges. "These are really my pics. They have my name on them."

Foot traffic to the booth was steady as the Flash Day event went on. Most of those who stopped by would only look at the pictures hanging up, but there was enough looking trough the stack on the table and the rack to keep the smile on Averey's face. She, of course, could see what she would have changed with the pictures whether it be the angles, where the light source was, and what was the focal point, but overall, people seemed to like them enough to garner some sales.

"I haven't seen her smile like that in a while," she heard Daniel say with a sigh.

"I know, isn't it great?"

Closing the cash box after a sale, Averey leaned back against the table and watched Daniel wrap his arm around Ellie's shoulders. They smiled peacefully, silently congratulating each other on a job well done before they kissed. Averey shook her head and rolled her eyes, a smile on her face, but her eyes never made a full rotation as they landed on a man who stood to the side of the booth, watching her closely.

"Can I help you there, mate?" she asked.

His gaze briefly drifted downwards before settling back on her eyes. Never breaking eye contact with her, he slowly placed the picture in his hands back on the hook it was hanging from. Averey followed his gaze down and let out a sigh through her nose when she noticed the leg of her jeans had hooked around her ankle monitor.

"Oi! What are you looking at?" Ellie was by Averey's side in an instant, a deep frown etched on her face. Everyone and everything around them stilled. Even the birds stopped chirping. Her voice was carried with the wind. "Mind your own business!"

"You're the one in the papers," the man replied, lifting a to go Jitters coffee cup to his lips. Averey felt her face burn. "What'd you do?" Eyes flashing Ellie stepped closer towards him. Daniel put a hand on her back, jaw set.

"She beat down the last bloke who was stupid enough to ask that question," Ellie replied, "because he didn't have the bloody reading comprehension skills to know what she did."

"Elanor," Daniel said in a warning tone.

The man, lifted his free hand into the air, taking a step back from Ellie. "Just asking," he replied. "Didn't know if I was fueling a drug habit or anything."

"Right." The air around Ellie seemed to crackle. "You're just fueling your stupidity."

"I'm not the one stupid enough to do something to get that thing strapped to my ankle," the man replied. He seemed to have realized he struck a nerve as his eyes widened and he instantly started walking away from the area, glancing repeatedly over his shoulder.

"By the way, Pumpkin Spice," Averey shouted after him, "my drug of choice is crack."

Ellie gave a lips-only smile, lifting a hand to brush a lock of Averey's hair back from her face. "That's my girl," she said.

"You know," Daniel spoke up a stunned look on his face, "sometimes I still ask myself 'what did I marry into?'" Ellie shoved his shoulder and allowed herself to be pulled into his chest in a hug. "Then I see something like that and remember."

"Yeah, well, I need to calm down," Averey said, sliding her hands into her jeans pockets, "so I'm going to get some tea." As she balanced on her right foot, she used her left to unhook her pants from the ankle monitor. "The guy was holding a Jitters cup, I'm going to find the cart."

"Are you sure you're ok, sweet?" Daniel asked, resting her chin atop Ellie's head. "The guy was a jerk."

"That's a laugh." With a shrug, Averey turned around and started walking backwards. "Most people are," she replied, "reckon it's just the way of life." Turning back around, she quickly avoided walking right into a kid who darted into her path, and took in the sites and smells of the booths she passed.

Upon finding the mobile Jitters cart, she briefly glanced at the menu (hot chocolate, teas, coffees, and advertising for a new drink called The Flash stood out), she focused her attention on the chalkboard sign sitting in the grass.

"Grand re-opening 25 October," she read aloud. That was three weeks away. Her eyebrows angled together. That wasn't a lot of time left for work to be done on the site. _Of course, with the Flash helping, they're bound to make the deadline on time. And then some._ Her eyes dropped lower and she saw an advertisement that Jitters were looking for new employees.

Her mom's words floated around her head: _This is the right time to apply; get ahead of it so they're not spending their first few days back looking for help._

Stepping past the sign, she walked over to the cart. "Could I get a Black Tea with some milk?" she asked. "And do I apply to work here or online, or…?" She let her sentence hang when the blonde woman, Stacy Conwell, turned around. "Oh, hey Stacy. Sorry, I didn't recognize you."

"Averey," Stacy said with a smile, wiping her hands on a dish rag. "Long time no see, huh? I know we didn't work together a lot before I left; there was a family emergency." She patted her hair and smiled. "And these new highlights help, too. Tracey is taking a break now, but I can pass along your contact info if you want."

"That'd be great. Cheers."

"Actually, not to jump on this conversation, could you do the same for me?" a woman with honey brown hair asked, stepping up to the cart. The skin under her freckles turned a reddish-pink as she gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I'm new…ish, to town, I just moved her a few months ago. I'm kind of desperate for a job, I'm applying everywhere." Her eyes widened. "Oh, and a caramel macchiato."

"Sure thing," Stacy replied, handing over a notepad and a pen. "Just put your info here. I'll be sure to pass it along."

"Thanks. Sorry."

Averey batted the air with her hand. "No worries," she replied. "I'm Averey."

"Kendra. Saunders. Nice to meet you."

* * *

"And is there any possibility that the malfunctioning of the particle accelerator almost two years ago could have been the cause of the black hole just recently?"

Cisco rolled his eyes but leaned forward to speak directly into the recorder that Iris held in front of his face. "I understand the worry and confusion surrounding the black hole," he explained in as much of a neutral voice as he could muster, "but no."

Iris moved the tape recorder to her mouth. "But, we can't ignore that the black hole had indeed opened above S.T.A.R. Labs," she said before holding it out towards him again.

Cisco locked eyes with Iris over the small device. She gave him a patient smile. He couldn't blame her for the questions. By now, everyone knew that the singularity has opened above S.T.A.R. Labs. The braver (or more reckless) teenagers flocked to the site to take as many pictures and selfies as possible.

Iris was just doing her job. In fact, _Central City Picture News_ wasn't the only media outlet that had stopped covering the events of Flash Day to try and get a few words from him. Craning his neck, he could see correspondents for channels 19, 40, and 52, preparing for broadcast and news vans for _Central City Picture News,_ _Central City Daily Press, The Keystone Kourier,_ and _The Keystone-Transcript_ along the edge of the park, closer to the water.

"No, we can't," he agreed. "The whole situation is complicated. As everybody knows, S.T.A.R. Labs is short staffed, so looking for an explanation will take some time. I know everyone wants answers, but we're still learning new things about the initial malfunction."

"And is there any chance that meta-humans are responsible for the black hole?" Again, they shared a look over the recorder. They both knew the circumstances around what had occurred six months ago.

"If someone did have the ability to open a black hole of that caliber, I wouldn't blame them for only appearing that one time." He tucked his hair back behind his ears. "I woudln't wish anyone had that kind of power." Iris's eyebrows lifted. "Npthing indicates the black hole being the work of anyone's abilities."

"Right, right, of course," Iris quickly agreed. She smiled nervously. "I mean, that would just be cray cray."

"Totes cray," Cisco said.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Ramon, I hope you enjoy Flash Day." Iris switched off the recorder and Cisco's shoulders dropped in relief. He buried his face in his hands. "Thanks so much for speaking with me, Cisco."

"Hey, no problem, Iris," Cisco replied, dropping his arms to his sides. A moment later, he stepped forward to embrace her in a quick hug. "Wherever you work, I'll for sure give you an exclusive." Iris gave an appreciative smile before she twisted to make sure her recorder sat in her back pocket. "Thanks for not being so harsh. These other people sounded more like an interrogation."

"Of course," Iris replied. "I don't judge people, I just deliver the news." She clapped her hands together. "So, if all goes well, and Mr. Larkin approves, this will be in the _Picture News_ tomorrow. If not, you'll get a great spot on my blog."

"It's about the Flash," Cisco said. "It's why he hired you. Why wouldn't it make front page news?"

"I'm still a rookie compared to everyone else," Iris said. "I have to work twice as hard to get assigned to pieces that's not all about the Flash and that comes few and far between at times." She waved her hand in the air. "It's ok though; the more I get to write, the better I get at it. Plus, it means I can still keep the blog updated."

"You have a find a way to get your name out there somehow."

"Exactly." Iris and Cisco shared a laugh. "I'm bound to get a lot of eyes on this, Flash Day is a bigger turnout than I thought it would be."

"Who else have you spoken with today?" Cisco asked.

"Dad, of course. He explained the increased police presence today. I briefly saw Professor Stein and Clarissa in the crowd and they promised me a quote later. I have a scheduled appointment with Mayor Bellows –"

"Ooh, look who's moving on up in the world," Cisco said, shaking his hands in the air. "Woo-hoo."

"Relax, it's with Mr. Larkin," Iris said despite the appreciative smile. "He set everything up ahead of time. Apparently, he's making a big announcement in his speech today. I'm just there to make sure I have everything recorded."

"Still, he's choosing you over anyone else he's worked with for ages."

"That's true." She slowly nodded her head, watching him closely. "I also ran into Caitlin."

"Oh." Cisco pressed his lips together. "How…What'd she say?"

"She seems to be doing well," Iris said, answering his unasked question. Cisco pushed a smile to his face and Iris gave a small nod to say, "You're welcome." She shifted her weight from foot to foot. "Here, listen." She retrieved her recorder. Cisco looked over the crowd as she repeatedly rewound and played the audio until she found the one she was looking for. "Here." She pressed PLAY and Iris's voice came out of the machine.

"…matter came from the particle accelerator the first time. Not much is known about the black hole and how it appeared in Central City, but are there any lasting effects we need to worry about from our exposure?"

The audio scratched and caught the sound of the breeze before Caitlin's voice sounded next.

"With the initial dark matter wave, some may contribute it to the appearance of meta-humans in Central City. It's too early to know what the black hole has caused apart from the damage to the structures around the city and to the lives it has affected. However, if there is anyone out there who is worried about their wellbeing, the doors at Mercury Labs is open. We provide confidentiality to protect those who wish for more information."

Cisco winced. She said 'we'. They used to be a 'we.'

They used to be some of the spokespeople of S.T.A.R. Labs. Every day he walked through those doors he was greeted with her warm smile and a sing-song, "Good morning, Cisco," as she settled herself in her seat in the Cortex to prepare herself for whatever story he had for the day. Whenever she was having an exceptionally rough time grieving Ronnie's death – his first one, anyway - they would go to the bar, or get ice cream, or lounge at his place with Chinese food. They had even managed a "usual" at each location they frequented.

He just had to remind himself that it was part of the healing process. She needed to pull away, she needed to handle things on her own terms. Just like the first time, he needed to be patient and wait for her to come talk to him whenever she was ready. Still, it didn't make it easy to watch from afar as his best friend turned into a somber shell of her former self.

"I understand there hasn't been a lot of good press surrounding Mercury Labs as of late. For the past several months there have been many changes that have been made. We dedicated to providing resources to those who wish to stay anonymous and have set new security measures into place to ensure that sensitive information does stay discreet."

"I'm glad things are working out for her," Cisco said as soon as Iris stopped the recording.

"Me too," Iris agreed, sighing through her nose. As silence fell over them, Cisco rocked back and forth on his feet. Iris cleared her throat, checking her watch. He knew that move well; all the times he was stuck at family dinners, he had mastered the art of awkward silences.

"Did you have any luck talking Barry in to coming?" Cisco asked.

"I tried," Iris replied. "But, Barry's...really been hard on himself since Ronnie and…" She wet her lips with her tongue and swallowed thickly. "Since everything happened." Cisco hummed. "But, I know Barry. He'll be here. He's kind of been in this situation before: when everyone was against his dad and he was the only one believing in him. Now, everyone believes in him, but he's against himself. Sometimes, it just takes knowing that someone else, just one person, has faith in you that can make you achieve things you never thought you could."

Cisco nodded. Dr. Wells was that one person for him. If it wasn't for him, he would never have thought that S.T.A.R. Labs was a possibility. He watched as a news van carefully, and slowly rolled across the green grass to get into position closer to the stage.

"It's going to start soon," Iris said, shifting her weight to her leg, leaning closer to the crowd. "I'm going to join the crowd. Get a good view of the action. See you later, Cisco."

"See ya." Cisco replied. He made his way over to the parking lot and over to the unmarked police car that Joe was leaning up against. "Where's Dante?" Joe silently jerked his thumb over his shoulder and Cisco peered through the windshield to find his brother sitting in the passenger seat. The seat was reclined, and his arm draped lazily out the window. "Thanks."

"Mmmhm." Joe adjusted his coat and crossed his arms over his chest. His head stayed still, but his eyes slowly shifted from side to side as he watched the crowd.

"Show's about to start," Cisco said, leaning against the window.

"Are you really wearing that shirt?" Dante asked. Cisco looked down at his red collared shirt with yellow lightning bolts on it. "Seriously?"

"What? It's festive," Cisco said defensively. "Are you really going to sit in the car the whole time?" Before Dante answered, he moved to open the rear door and grabbed Dante's crutches. "And don't use the 'I can't stand' excuse. That brace I made you will disperse the weight you put on it, you won't feel a thing."

"You had all the cameras in your face, I don't want anyone to know I'm related to you."

"Hey, genius, I'm sure _no one_ will figure that out. It's not like our _last name_ is the same or anything." Cisco took a step back, motioning for him to open the door.

Dante's nostrils flared as he opened the passenger seat door. He swung his legs around the seat, towards the pavement. "The second something happens, I'm back in this car," he said, taking the crutches from Cisco.

"Way to be optimistic," Cisco said, clapping his brother on the shoulder.

"I don't think it'll hurt to think like him, Cisco," Joe said as the Ramon brothers moved to join him at the front of the car. "I always get nervous in big crowds. Things happen; thefts, assault, fights. Plus, knowing this is a celebration for the Flash, I'd be more surprised if nothing happened at all."

"See?" Dante said. He swung his crutch forward to point in Joe's direction and hit Cisco in the chest. "This guy gets it."

"Yeah, yeah." Cisco massaged his chest and lowered himself to a sit on the hood of the car. Reaching into his pocket, he removed a toothpick and popped it into his mouth, trying to pry a peanut from his molars. The candy apples were a big hit – red candy coloring and caramel drawn in the shape of a lightning bolt topped with peanuts. No one could possibly resist it. If only he could find a way to eat it without getting anything stuck. "That's actually a good point."

"Huh." Dante straightened, giving his armpits reprieve from the sturdy cushions. "I think that's the first time you've ever said that to me."

"With good reason, too."

Joe laughed. "You two," he said, shaking his head back and forth. "You're like an old married couple."

Dante grimaced. "God forbid."

"What he said." His lips barely formed the words. His attention was no longer on Joe or his brother, but on the crowd in front of him that moved as one to get closer to the stage. Even in a large crowd, he could spot her: Caitlin Snow.

She never liked big crowds, and even now, standing as far to the side as possible, she looked uncomfortable. Still dressed in work clothes – at least she had on a red shirt under her navy blazer – she stood out like a sore thumb compared to the face painted, casually dressed, and over all social group of people around her. As if feeling eyes on her, she looked around the crowd before her eyes landed on him. Cisco stared back and lifted his hand in a small wave.

Caitlin nodded in response. The corners of her lips barely lifted into a smile.

"Better than nothing," he reassured himself as she broke eye contact with her.

Dante nudged Cisco's side with his crutch. "Still haven't talked to her?" he asked, nodding his head towards the crowd.

"Not for a while, no." Cisco slowly shook his head from side to side. "We've texted a few times. Just to check in with each other. That's all."

"I thought you hadn't talked to her since, like, July."

Blinking in confusion, he turned his head towards Dante. "Who are you talking about?"

"Who are _you_ talking about?" Dante shot back.

"Caitlin."

"I'm talking about Averey."

Cisco's stomach lurched. "Huh?"

Dante pointed, and Cisco followed his gaze to the news van, where Averey was perched on top, a camera lifted to her face. He recognized her parents standing below her, occasionally looking up at her as if making sure she was still there. Maybe they were. Once again, Dante was right; they hadn't talked since a little before Averey's birthday, when she ended things between them.

Ultimately, he understood: it was hard to date someone who was only allowed out of the house for work, two days for three-hour blocks of time, and had a curfew of nine at night. He could come up with many stay at home dates, a couple of them they had experienced, but that didn't make it suck any less. Things were awkward at first, but overtime, he couldn't ignore the tension that was slowly growing between them.

She didn't think it was fair for him to wait for her, and he didn't think it was fair that she was making decisions without asking how he was feeling. Yes, it was frustrating at times, and yes, he hadn't had a supervised date in ages, but he just enjoyed spending time with her. When all was said and done, they really could just be alone without any outside distractions. In his eyes, it was a bonus, and a way to get to know her parents better. To her, it was him taking pity on her.

They couldn't come to any sort of conclusion or compromise apart from breaking things off until the end of the year.

"Look, it's starting," he said in a thinly veiled attempt to change the subject. He could feel Dante watching him, but kept his eyes on the stage as Mayor Bellows took to the podium, and chewed on his toothpick.

"Good afternoon, Central City," Mayor Bellows said, his voice booming over the space. He lifted his arms in response to the loud cheers and applauds before joining in himself. "I must say, it really is great to see everyone's faces. Despite everything that has happened over the past several months, we have banded together, and are working hard to rebuild our home to be better than it ever has been."

"I'm standing before you, a changed man. This city has changed over the past year, and so has some of us. Every day we learn more about these so called meta-humans. More importantly, we have heard rumors, rumblings, and maybe have seen some sightings of the Flash."

A swell of applause rose in the air that took a few minutes before he managed to quiet his audience.

"We may not be here with everyone we surrounded ourselves with at the start of the year; but they are not forgotten." He licked his lips, expelling a breath of air through his nose. "We cannot forget them. We cannot forget that there is good in Central City, despite what fears we have of what tomorrow could and will bring. Not only do we have the Flash to protect us, but we have a resilient police force, who I have been working closely with to determine the best route in keeping you all safe."

Applauding, Cisco bent forward to smile at Joe. Joe nodded his head, using his hand to smooth down his tie. The police men and women wearing protective armor, briefly lifted a hand in the air as they were recognized.

"For those newly joining the ranks, fresh out of the Academy, they have been trained through new programs. Courses had been implemented detailing how to address the threat of meta-humans, how to approach suspected meta-humans, and more. New equipment has been created, tested, and perfected to aid in the police department's efforts in dealing with meta-humans."

Despite knowing no one could see him, Cisco puffed out his chest in pride. So many late nights constantly working was paying off.

"Finally, and I know you're all wondering about this, plans have been put in motion at my level of expertise to ensure that everyone is safe. At Iron Heights, a new meta-human wing has been built and opened to ensure there is no possibility of a break out, or putting other prisoners in danger. Thank you to the Thawne family for their generous donation to this project." Mayor Bellows cleared his throat, adjusting his tie at the mix of cheers and mumbles that started quietly and grew in volume by the second. "I am also here to announce to you today, that in addition to the police's Anti Meta-Human Task Force, we have begun the initial stages in creating the Meta-Human Classification System. This system will work in part with the future Institute for Meta-Human Research."

Cisco felt his jaw drop. "No way," he whispered. He looked over at Joe in alarm. Joe's jaw was set, and he kept his gaze on Mayor Bellows. "Iris said he was going to be making an announcement today."

"Something tells me he just made it," Joe said.

 _Is this what Mercury Labs is working on?_ Cisco craned his neck, looking for Caitlin in the sea of people, but couldn't find her.

"Calm down, calm down," Mayor Bellows pleaded over the noise. "All of your questions will be answered in the future. These are initial planning stages. Nothing is set in stone and will still take years from now to come to fruition. We are not here for that. Today, we are here to celebrate the Flash for his selfless acts of bravery since all this weird stuff has happened." Reaching behind his podium, he removed a small wooden structure holding the key to the city. "We are here to recognize the Flash as the beacon of hope to keep moving one step forward, even when it's hard to do so. Please join me in congratulating, and thanking, _the Flash_!"

Whatever grumbles and mumbles that went through the crowd was replaced by an even louder swell of cheers than before. Cisco sat frozen in place for a moment before joining in with them. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned his head and gaped up at Barry who stood solemnly beside him in his Flash suit.

"Barry."

Barry turned his head towards Cisco and pressed his lips together. He nodded once before locking eyes with Joe. His lips parted, but no sound came out.

"Go get 'em, son," Joe said.

In a rush of air, Barry was gone, weaving through the crowd of people. Then he was on stage. The crowd started chanting. Balloons were released in the air. Fists were pumped. Averey started shouting, her voice drowned out by the wall of noise around her ("Look out! Everybody get out of the way. LOOK OUT!"). All hell broke loose. People started screaming. Running for every exit; pushing, shoving, trampling. A hot dog cart crashed onto the stage. Banners were ripped.

Mayor Bellows was suddenly deposited in front of them, held by the Flash. "Are you ok?" Barry asked him, shouting to be heard, face and vocal chords vibrating.

"Yes, yes, I'm all right," Mayor Bellows replied.

"Good." Barry turned to wards the officers. "Someone get him out of here! Keep him safe." Two police officers rushed him past the cars, away from the rally. "Everyone get to safety."

"See?" Dante hobbled as quickly as he could back to the car. "I knew it! I knew something was going to happen."

"Oh, shut up and get in the car!" Cisco said, grabbing Dante's elbow to help him. Once the passenger door was open, he shoved his brother inside. "Roll the windows up and stay down."

"Cisco, get the B.O.O.T!" Joe's voice was drowned out by the consecutive firing of his gun. Cisco whirled around, looking at who he was aiming at and found a large figure dressed all in black stalking towards them. The bullets bounced off his chest and still, he kept walking towards him. Towards the Flash. "Hurry!"

"It's—it's not done!" Cisco protested. "I just showed Singh the other day. It's a prototype."

"It's the only thing we've got. Hurry!"

But he was rooted to the spot. He couldn't stop staring at the man as he lowered his hood and removed his black coat to reveal a sleeveless top and an iron helmet. _Ping. Ping. Ping._ The bullets bounced off every inch of his body. A deep laugh reverberated through the helmet on the man's head.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" he asked.

All the sound cut out. The Flash Day rally disappeared and in its place, was a dark, cold room. Cisco shuddered, feeling like he had been doused with cold water. He looked around the room, trying to place something, _anything_ to let him know his location. The harder he tried, the more the image started to shatter around him. The illusion broken when he felt someone give him a hard shake.

"Do something!" Dante shouted, shaking him through the now rolled down window. "Look! The Flash."

Cisco peered past him and found Barry laying in the front seat of a police cruiser, having been thrown through the front window. Finally getting control of his legs, he hurried to the trunk of the unmarked car and popped it open. He quickly pulled open the zipper to the bag and pulled out the B.O.O.T, whispering prayers as he did so. The bag he carried it in fell to the ground, knocking out a collection of boomerangs in different shapes and sizes, along with a sleek white headphone-like device.

"Joe, here," he said, stepping over the spilled items to give the device to Joe. "Hope it works."

"You and me both," Joe replied, mounting the device on his shoulder. He closed one eye and squeezed the trigger.

* * *

Head swimming, Barry pulled himself out of the tangle of broken car seats, seat belts, and glass. His head and back throbbed from where they hit the edge of the police car's window. His cheek stung, and he could feel a shard of glass sticking out of his face. As he climbed out of the car, he removed the piece, throwing it to the floor.

"What the hell," he breathed, watching bullets fly off his body. _He's definitely a meta-human._ Joe lined up the sights of a device to the strong man. The gun recoiled, and a contraption shot out, wrapping around the meta's leg. Blue lightning shot out of the device and up his body.

Growling and screaming, the man twitched and jerked with each shock of the electricity. The acrid smell of burning flesh filled the air. Streaks of black appeared on the man's. Barry gagged, feeling his stomach lurch against his abdomen. Swallowing thickly, he choked down the bile that shot up his throat. Tears formed in his eyes. His throat burned with each breath he took.

"He's not going down," Cisco said, voice filled with horror.

The meta reached own with his sausage-like fingers and snapped apart the device around his ankle, throwing it to the side. Barry rushed forward and pounded his body with punches to every inch he could reach. "Argh!" Each punch felt like slamming his fist into a brick wall. His skin had no give, all the pain shot up his fingers into his wrists, his forearms, his elbows. He could hear pops as his fingers took the brunt of the punches. They weren't broken, but maybe fractured. They hurt to move and yet, he still forced them into tight fists trying to land any blow he could.

Swinging his arm like a club, the meta caught Barry in the side. Barry's breath was forcefully pushed out of his body as he went flying, crashing into a metal tarp covered tent. Balloons popped under his weight. The wooden table splintered beneath him, jabbing up into his spine. He couldn't hold it in; Barry screamed in pain as he landed.

 _Get up. You have to get up._ Rolling onto his side he tried to take in a breath of air, and felt his muscles contract in protest. The wind had been knocked out of him. A strangled moan reached his ears as he tried, desperately to get one breath in. _No one can help you. Get up!_ His legs shook underneath him as he tried to support his weight. Blood slipped out of the corners of his mouth. Pushing a hand to his stomach, he sucked in the air as hard as he could through his mouth. _It's just your diaphragm. Relax. Breathe in deep. Slowly._

The meta-human slowly stalked towards him and Barry tried in vain to breathe. Only when he saw two small arms wrap around the man's neck did he get in a stabilizing breath of air. Averey. The man swung left and right, trying to pry Averey off him, but she held on tight, feet flying behind her as she did so.

"Here! Catch!" The sun bounced off a piece of metal as Cisco threw something towards Averey. She grabbed the object out of the air and Barry recognized it as one of her boomerangs. She quickly split it into two elbow daggers and jammed them into the man's back.

The man roared with pain twisting and turning faster and faster. Averey slipped down his body, gouging a deep cut into his skin. With one hard spin, Averey went flying. "No!" Barry rushed forward, catching her out of the air. The two crashed into the ground. "ARE YOU CRAZY?" he bellowed as she sat up, wiping the splatter of blood off her face, her other arm covering her eyes.

"Totally mental," Averey replied, starting to pat at the ground, eyes squeezed shut. Barry looked around and quickly spotted a pair of sunglasses on the ground – a swatch of caramel brown against the lush green grass. Grabbing it, he hastily shoved it into her hands and she pulled them over her eyes. "Move!"

Barry quickly dodged out of the way as she sent ocular blast after ocular blast to the man as he stumbled towards the two of them. It didn't slow him down, he seemed to be gaining speed with each step he took. "You have to get out of here," he said, grabbing on Averey's shoulders, trying to pull her away. She crab-walked backwards, trying to gain her footing to get to her feet. "Now."

Purple light built up in Averey's eyes. Starting as a dull glow in the center of her pupils before growing bigger and bigger, covering her irises, then the whites of her eyes before shooting outwards. A bright flash of purple light quickly appeared in the dark caverns of the meta's helmet. He stopped walking and grabbed at his face.

"Can't see," he shouted, stumbling around. "I can't see!"

"Come on, we've got time," Barry said, hauling Averey to her feet. "Where are your parents?"

"I don't know, I lost 'em in the crowd."

"Let's go. Let's go." Everything around him slowed. A haze of red surrounded him, lightning crackling at the edges. He turned on his feet, towards the direction of the park exit, and stopped when a streak of blue rushed past him.

Intense heat rushed over Barry's body and he turned away from the blue wall as he did so. Condensation instantly formed under his suit. Heat was trapped under his collar. He gasped for cool and refreshing air. Then, the heat was gone. He closed his eyes in relief. Upon opening them, he spotted Eddie standing beneath a tree in the distance, hands in his pockets, watching the scene.

 _What the…?_ Blood pounded in his ears, his heart hammered in his chest. He blinked repeatedly and still Eddie was there. Watching. Gritting his teeth, Barry shifted his weight on his feet and turned, hurrying out of the area. _He's not there. He's gone, he's not there._ The faster he moved, the further behind he left the image behind. Zipping in and out of the park entrances, he finally found Ellie and Daniel just outside of the park limits and deposited Averey there.

"Go on," he said, turning to head back to the park. ("Mum!" Averey shouted, hurrying over to them, arms out stretched. "Dad!" Daniel and Ellie collided with her, pulling her close to them in a tight hug.)

Taking in a deep breath to prepare himself, he sped back into the park – and felt himself falter. It was only a fraction of the second; like he was off kilter. He stumbled just slightly, leaning too far forward, and moving to slow to keep himself balanced. Then he corrected himself, and his speed balanced him out again.

Then the man stopped stumbling around and started growing bigger. His limbs stretched, reaching out towards him before came in proportion with his giant body. The gashes on his body closed, leaving his skin smooth and untouched again. It reached for Barry and he kicked up a plume of dirt as he ran, trying to buy himself time to think.

On one of his passes, he spotted a group of gasoline tanks. Cutting back towards the meta, he landed a punch between his neck and the metal helmet. Knocking the man off balance, Barry found his time to get away. He propelled himself over to the canisters and grabbed one in each hand.

"Joe, get ready."

"Just say 'when'," Joe replied, holding his gun aloft.

With a grunt, Barry lifted the canisters and started running in a tight circle. Faster, faster. The weight of the gasoline was slowing him down, but he still pushed himself forward. "NOW!" Barry threw the gas canisters forward as hard as he could. As the bullets Joe fired pierced the metal can, it exploded. The force of the explosion knocked Barry off his feet and Joe grabbed a hold of him, breaking his fall.

"Thanks," Barry breathed.

"Don't mention it," Joe managed to get out around a groan. His gaze was fixed on the meta-human.

Barry turned his head and watched the meta shrink back to his normal, yet still huge size. His helmet split in the middle and opened revealing the wide, square face of a man who glared daggers at him. The face of a man whose body he had just examined at a crime scene. The man's nostrils flared with each harsh breath out of his nose before he turned and ran off as quickly as his lumbering body could take him.

"Who was that?" Cisco asked, slowly standing from where he was crouching between Joe's car and the car parked next to it. A second later, he had the passenger door to Joe's car wrenched open and he was checking on his brother.

"Al Rothstein," Barry replied, breathing heavily. "Or at least, his ghost. Last I checked, he was dead."

"I can vouch for that," Joe said, deadpan.

Barry helped Joe to his feet before he hunched over, putting his hands to his knees. _If he was there, was Eddie there, too?_

* * *

 **A/N:** Now you know what happened to Averey while inside S.T.A.R. Labs. And you get the identity of the mysterious "blonde man." I really enjoyed writing that last fight scene. Also, Cisco and Iris. They don't have a lot of scenes together on the show, but I like their dynamic with each other.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Need further explanation on anything? Leave a comment.

-Rhuben

What did you all think of the "Crisis on Earth-X" crossover. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I think it was pretty slow to start, and really picked up with the second half of the Arrow part.

.

 **Review Replies:**

 _Josephguy217:_ Thank you! Glad you're enjoying the story and thank you for continuing with this one. Can't wait to see what you think as the story goes on.

 _gods-own:_ I'm happy you're still sticking with it. Hope you enjoy!

 _Babyj:_ (I'll reply to your _In a Flash_ review here, first): I LOVE writing Barry and Oliver in scenes together. While at times I feel like we don't seem them together enough in the show (understandably so), I also think for the two of them it is enough, but I like expanding their friendship as well. And, yes! The big brother/little brother dynamic is what I'm trying to show with the two of them.

( _Out of Focus_ ): I'm so glad you spotted the comparison Averey made between her and Henry being in Iron Heights. You'll see more subtle things like that as the story goes on. I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of WestAllen overall, but I do enjoy fleshing out what Barry and Iris mean to each other. There was just so much more I felt they could have covered with not only Barry and Iris, but Dante and Cisco, too.

 _Ethan:_ Yeah, I noticed that as well. It was actually kind of scary, haha. One of the weirdest things I've said about the show is "I like seeing Grant cry", and I felt like they could have gone through so much more with how Barry grieved. Plus, with Iris, of course he would be more vulnerable and open with her (to a point). In regards to Harry, I don't think it was, but I haven't re-watched his introduction episode in a bit to know that for sure.


	4. One Foot in Front of the Other

**Chapter Four:** One Foot in Front of the Other

* * *

In her office situated deep in Mercury Labs, Caitlin squinted, the muscles in her face pulling taut, as she peered through the microscope situated in front of her. A minute later, she sat back in her seat, blinked repeatedly and rubbed her eyes. She made a face against the harsh light bouncing off the pristine white walls.

Compared to the darker color scheme of S.T.A.R. Labs, Mercury Labs was like walking into a hospital – except for the lack of the hospital smell. Everything was clean, always in place, and looked as pristine as if the building had just had its grand opening. There wasn't a single scuff mark on the floor. Not even a pencil was out of place in the cup holder on the lobby's welcome desk.

Everyone that walked the halls of Mercury Labs were well put together. There was no evidence of a flyaway hair. Lab coats were either buttoned up to display the wearer's name in an easy to spot fashion, or hung open to gently brush their sides as they walked – every evening the lab coats worn that day would be taken out to be cleaned and pressed.

The greatest sense of change was the fact that Caitlin's office had a window. Back at S.T.A.R Labs, you'd be hard pressed to find one apart from any room on the main floor. Caitlin would often arrive at work before the sun came up and leave work after the sun went down without ever catching a glimpse of sunlight.

Holding her hands over her eyes, she waited to adjust to the bright lights and heaved a great sigh when her phone rang. Briefly glancing at the caller ID, Caitlin bit her bottom lip, debating on answering up this time. Since the events of Flash Day, the day before, her phone line had been ringing off the hook. On the other end, people were asking her for clarification on her words to the press.

It had been a change to see her name and her words in the paper alongside the likes of Mayor Bellows and Dr. Tina McGee, but she knew not to get too excited about it. After all, the last time she was quoted in the paper, S.T.A.R. Labs took a dive. Mercury Labs certainly had spent its fair share of time over the last few months rebuilding itself after an extensive leak of confidential data, threats to positions, and any other underlying issues that had been uncovered thanks to the Royal Flush Gang.

 _Ping._ In the initial moment of silence of her ringing phone, Caitlin looked over her shoulder, her attention shifting to her computer. A single message had appeared on her screen: NOT THE MEDIA! Eyebrows lowered, she stared at the flashing message before turning back to her phone when it started ringing again. Could the media hounds really have been giving her a break? Only one way to find out…

"Caitlin Snow's office," she said into the mouthpiece of the phone. "Dr. Snow speaking."

"Hi, it's Lauren at the front desk," the bubbly voice of the woman at the front desk greeted her. She talked quickly, as if every second on the phone was money coming out of her pocket. Nevertheless, she had her spiel down perfectly. "I have someone here who would like to speak with you if you could spare some time. Name is…" There was a shuffling sound and distant voices as Lauren confirmed the name. Caitlin leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other as she waited. "I'm sorry, the name is Cisco Ramon."

"Ye—" Caitlin didn't know why she was hesitating. Or why the name of her best friend had sent her blood pressure skyrocketing.

The pang in her heart she understood. Since meeting, this was the longest they had been apart. When they were working together, it was easy to hold up their friendship together. Even through the initial days after losing their co-workers, watching their jobs obliterate in front of their eyes, and working through Ronnie's initial supposed death, they were there for each other. Even on days when Caitlin wanted no contact with anyone. Cisco always knew when she wanted space and when to hang out.

And they had seen each other at Flash Day. She couldn't deny that. _Everything got so crazy, he's probably just checking up on you._

"Dr. Snow?"

"Yes, um, yes." Caitlin cleared her throat. "Yes, send him up. He's a good friend of mine." She smiled at the truth of her words. "I can always spare time for him."

"Ok. I'll send him up right now. Thank you, Dr. Snow."

"Thank you." Lauren had already hung up when she responded. Minutes later, Cisco was standing next to her desk, taking in the sight of her office.

"Daaaaaang, you've really moved up," he commented as he looked around. "This stuff is _tight_."

"Dr. McGee insists," Caitlin said with a shrug of her shoulders. She got to her feet and pulled Cisco into a tight hug. "It's really good to see you, Cisco." He returned her hug with the same amount of enthusiasm.

"Yeah, and hopefully this won't end with a meta attack," Cisco said, brushing his hair back behind his ears. The guest pass around his neck swung from side to side. "Which, by the way, I wanted to see how you were doing afterwards. I lost you in the crowd when things went crazy."

"I'm ok," Caitlin replied. "Got a few bumps and bruises." She pushed the sleeves to her lab coat up her arms, turning them around to show him splotches of pink, purple, yellow, and green. "Nothing some R.I.C.E. can't handle. I got out of there pretty quickly."

"Did you check all the exits as soon as you got there?" Cisco asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He leaned back against the edge of her desk. "Made sure you had an escape plan and a back-up escape plan?"

"You can joke all you want, but it's a good tool to have." Caitlin lowered herself back into her office chair. She gave a wry smile. "We can't all rush out of there like the Flash."

"If only," Cisco agreed with a laugh. His sighed through his nose. "How are you doing? Seriously."

"I'm ok." Cisco lifted his eyebrows and Caitlin bobbed her head up and down. "Really, Cisco. I'm ok. The Ronnie I knew wasn't the same Ronnie who came back so it wasn't really like losing him again."

"But, you had just gotten married."

"And it was everything I had ever dreamed it would be." A fond smile came to her face. She could see it all over again. Iris and Averey helping her prepare, Cisco walking her down the aisle, the sight of Ronnie at the head of their wedding party, all their friends in one spot… She couldn't have asked for a better day. "I got what I wanted; I married the man of my dreams. I got to be Mrs. Ronnie Raymond. A year ago, I never thought it would ever happen and it did. What do I have to complain about?"

Cisco's eyebrows angled towards each other. He didn't answer, but his eyes darted around the room, moving from one object to the other before landing back on her. She could see the answer on his face, but was grateful that he didn't say it out loud.

"I promise you, I'm doing ok."

"In a place like this?" Cisco laughed. "Hell, you're not doing too shabby. Did you know that EoWells left Barry S.T.A.R. Labs?"

"Wait." Caitlin shook her head. "What?" She lifted a hand when he moved to answer. "Not the EoWells part – which, by the way, I'm not a fan of – but the S.T.A.R. Labs thing."

Cisco pressed his index fingers together "Yeah, so, I kind of accidentally read Barry's mail—"

"Cisco! How do you _accidentally_ read someone's mail?"

Scratching the back of his neck, Cisco started talking quickly. "Uh, well, you see, it was the same piece of mail being sent over and over. Barry and I only cross paths at S.T.A.R. Labs, as you know, and I've tried to give it to him. I wasn't sure if it was important or anything so I may have held it up to the light to see what was going on. It was sent from Weathersby and Stone and it looked legal, so I told Joe and he had been getting the same kind of mail at his house. He opened it, and read it, and told me and…Barry owns S.T.A.R. Labs."

Caitlin stared at Cisco, blinking repeatedly. "Wow," she finally said after a stretch of silence. "That's it? It's just his?"

Cisco shrugged his shoulders. "He doesn't talk to me about that kind of thing," he replied. "Or, anything, really. At CCPD or at S.T.A.R. Labs, it's usually just work stuff. I mean, we both just commiserate over Captain Singh. Let me tell you, you don't know fear until you have Captain Singh breathing down your neck."

"Francisco Ramon at the CCPD," Caitlin said with a smile. "How's it been going? I've been meaning to check in." She hadn't asked since his first day. "I've just been swamped here."

"I get it," Cisco replied, waving his hand in the air. "It's been good. A lot of hard work. I still get to make toys which is a bonus." Caitlin smiled. "And I'm still helping Central City even if it's not part of Team Flash anymore."

Caitlin reached for the newspaper sitting on the corner of her desk. FLASH FALTERS was splashed on the front with a giant picture of Barry and a mysterious, bulky looking man. Barry had just taken what looked to be like a horrible strike to the face. Upon reading the article, she had reached out to him with a text that had gone unanswered.

"That's why I'm here," Cisco said, his voice having taken on a somber tone.

"Cisco," Caitlin said with a tired sigh. "I'm not going back. He's been handling it fine on his own."

"Sure, if you call him being curb stomped as 'fine'," Cisco replied with a snort. "He's lucky he can start healing in a matter of seconds." He punched his fist into the flat of his palm with a loud _smack._ "I swear, Cait, he bounced off the guy like he was a cue ball. Averey, too."

How long had it been since she was called Cait by anyone? Everyone at Mercury Labs called her Dr. Snow. It was professional yet hard to get used to at first. Everyone at S.T.A.R. Labs was on a first name basis – except for Dr. Wells of course. He had insisted on reminding everyone that they were a team and no one was better than anyone else. They were all working together to create the particle accelerator. Mercury Labs was filled with departmental projects, secret projects, side projects to side projects and never knowing what the end goal was.

"She was there?" Caitlin asked. "She _helped_?"

"As best as she could considering her tether to home," Cisco replied with a shrug. "And without her suit, too. She gave Barry enough distraction, even wounded him a bit. But that's the strange part: he grew _huge_ and any injury Barry and Averey could get on him just disappeared like _that_." He snapped his fingers. "I mean, he had these gashes that just healed themselves."

Caitlin frowned. That was odd. If skin stretched enough it would crack, split open, and start to bleed. Any small injury would grow exponentially. Not heal. She listened to his explanation of a badge being found a nuclear power plant, x-ray machines had gone kaput. _Someone on the fifth floor had been complaining about that_ , Caitlin thought to herself. Things were up and running now, but it had given some of the employees a great amount of stress when she had gotten back to Mercury Labs after the Flash Day event.

"Maybe if we catch this guy he can be used the first test subject for this new Institute for Metahuman Research," Cisco replied. Caitlin was pulled out of her thoughts and was met with his stare. An inquiring one.

Caitlin tapped her thumb on the arm rest of her chair. "Honestly, Cisco, that was the first I was hearing about it, too," she replied. "I only knew what Dr. McGee told me: she works with many patients and wanted me to emphasize that Mercury Labs would do anything we could to help them. And who's to say they couldn't be metas?" Cisco bobbed his head back and forth before he nodded his head.

"We've seen a whole lot of people turn out to be metas," he agreed. "How would you know for sure?"

Caitlin used her hand to indicate the phone. "Maybe you could tell that to every newspaper and online blog asking me for more information. I had no idea Mayor Bellows and Dr. McGee were working on something like this." She chewed on her bottom lip. "I'm not sure how I feel about it, honestly. I mean, it's years in the making, but people don't always have the best intentions for metas."

"General Eiling?"

"Mmhmm. I can't blame Dr. McGee for wanting to jump aboard with it. It was what we were supposed to do when we started putting the metas in the Pipeline: figure out all we could about them and try to help them."

"You have to admit, the way Iris wrote that article, even _I'm_ curious to know," Cisco replied. He turned his voice into a stage whisper. "Just don't tell S.T.A.R. Labs."

"Secret's safe with me." Caitlin mimed zipping her lips shut. "Seeing Iris's name as co-writer of that article was pretty cool." She lifted a finger in the air. "Plus, you didn't give me a hard time about leaving."

"Why would I do that?" Cisco asked.

"Because you gave me a hard time when I decided we should change up our lunch routine."

"That's different." Cisco's voice jumped to a higher pitch as he defended himself. "I was a regular at that taco place. Not everybody makes great tacos. This is a great opportunity. Sure, I would have preferred it if you stayed, but I would have been a terrible friend if I tried to hold you back." He crossed one leg over the other. "You deserve this, Caitlin. Mercury Labs has been trying to get you to work for them for ages. Clearly, they see something exceptional in you like I always do."

Caitlin's lips pursed before she twisted them to the side. "Are you doing anything right now?" she asked, expelling a breath of air through her nose.

"Only thinking of different ways to convince you to help us out," Cisco replied. His lips parted into a toothy grin. "And, I can't lie, I'm hoping you're still into fried chicken salad and have some in that mini fridge." He pressed his hands together as if he was begging and wiggled his eyebrows upwards.

Keeping her eyes on him, she used her feet to push her chair across the floor. Opening the mini-fridge she grabbed a packaged salad from the stack stored inside. Retrieving a fork from the pile on the door, Caitlin returned to Cisco's side, handing it to him. Cisco practically tore it from her hands. Ripping open the top, he carefully dumped the top plastic portion holding dressing, bacon bits, and cheese on the bed of leaves.

"Thank god! Poppa hasn't eaten all day. I've been doing nothing but trying to figure out this meta dilemma."

"How'd you know I'd have this?"

"Ha, ha, ha, _puh-lease_." Cisco lifted a hand to cover his mouth as he chewed. "Every day, for as long as I've known you, you get to work, make sure no one parked in your spot – which is unassigned by the way – go through inventory, and check your work e-mail and phone messages. You eat lunch at _exactly_ 12:10 unless we order take-out or actually get off our butts and go, which normally consists of salad." He shook the container. "You also have a piece of fruit, and a bottle of water. Maybe, if you're feeling wild, you go for some Jell-O just for something sweet. Preferably blue or red; because they're the best colors."

"Of course," Caitlin agreed.

"Then, once you're done eating, you read the newspaper to give yourself time to digest. You're back at work no later than 1:20, work through the day, check inventory again, check messages again, and clock out." He shrugged his shoulders. "See? I know you."

Caitlin chuckled.

"And I know how frustrated you get when you're called away from your work. I can just see the 'Caitlin Face' happening already." Caitlin lifted her eyebrows. "All Iris and I need is to figure out what's up with this badge." Cisco set the now empty plastic bowl aside. "Any abnormalities, anything at all that would help us out. I thought I'd give it a shot bringing it by you."

"Iris?" Caitlin asked.

"She's kind of spearheading the whole thing since Barry doesn't want any help," Cisco replied. "But he needs it. Bad. If there's a chance he can beat this guy, we need to try everything we can think of."

Caitlin looked over at the bagged worker's badge sitting on the counter. Getting to her feet, she slapped her hand on top of it, pulling it towards her. "This doesn't mean I'm coming back," she warned.

"I know," Cisco replied with a bright smile.

As she turned away from him, Cisco punched the air with his fist. "I saw that," she said, carefully removing the slide on her microscope. "Are you going to help me or not?"

Tossing the empty container of salad into the trashcan, he pushed himself into a standing position. "Ready, willing, and fed," Cisco said with a salute. Caitlin shook her head. "Whatever you need."

"Call Iris," Caitlin replied, pushing the sleeves to her lab coat up to her elbows. "She's the one in the know about everything surrounding Flash Day, and I need as much information I can get. If she can come down here, even better. I want to congratulate her on the article, too." As Cisco retrieved his phone from his pocket, Caitlin gave him a smile. "Let's get to work; we have a meta-human to find."

For the next ten minutes, Caitlin and Cisco worked together to extract as much information as they could from the badge that Cisco had brought her. Even in a newer environment, they worked well together. Without saying anything, they could step around each other and pass along instruments without getting in each other's way.

Caitlin stilled when she heard footsteps quickly heading in the direction of her door. It was one thing to have guests, but she was working on an outside project for a competing laboratory. Or formerly competing. Nevertheless, she still had pride in what they had accomplished when she was still working there.

"I came as quickly as I could," Iris said, knocking rapidly on the door frame. "I hope it's ok, but I brought Professor Stein with me." Iris sped-walked into Caitlin's lab, her hair flying back form her face. Dropping her purse onto a clear space on a counter, she motioned towards the esteemed academic that followed her into the room. Professor Stein looked around in fascination. "I was hoping he'd have an idea as to what happened to the x-ray machines around the city."

"It's quite the conundrum, I'll admit," Professor Stein said, adjusting his glasses. "I have never heard anything happening like this before." Turning away from a wall of beakers filled with a yellow liquid he gave Caitlin a warm smile. "It's lovely to see you again, Dr. Snow." Once he reached her, he took her hands in his, gently squeezing them. "I was so proud to hear you accepted a position at this fine establishment."

"Thank you," Caitlin said, moving to give him a hug. "I'm happy to see you, too. Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Of course," Professor Stein replied. "When Miss West explained to me what had occurred around the city, I was intrigued." He turned to greet Cisco.

"We were worried about you and Clarissa as well," Cisco said, shaking Professor Stein's hand. "Neither of you got hurt, did you?"

"No, no, just a tad shaken up," Professor Stein insisted. He clasped his hands together. "Clarissa sends her well wishes. We both had worries about the sheer abundance of spectators that came out to see the illustrious Flash." His lips twitched. "Might I ask, how is our fine friend in red?"

"Pulling an Oliver Queen," Iris replied flatly. "He's been doing things on his own." She stood up tall. "But not anymore."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Caitlin asked. "You know how he can be."

"Exactly," Iris replied. "I do know him. Times like these, it's better not to give him a choice in the matter. He's getting help whether he likes it or not." Her mouth formed a thin line. "He's always had Team Flash behind him, that's not going to change now."

"That being said; Miss West said that you had a lead regarding this meta-human?" Professor Stein asked.

"Cisco brought me the badge from the meta, that I have been able to extract some information from," Caitlin explained, pointing her thumb over her shoulder.

"If you don't mind me recording this," Iris said, reaching into her bag and retrieved her tape recorder. "I've been asked to do a write up on the x-ray machines. I promise to censor out names, and make sure to leave out anything that, well, you know." She lifted her recorder to her mouth and spoke clearly the time, date, location, and who she was speaking with into it before holding it out towards Caitlin.

"This badge is the biggest clue we have as to what has occurred," Caitlin explained. "In short, it's a radiation tag, also knows as a film badge dosimeter. What's most interesting about it, is that having been found at a nuclear plant, there was no traces of radiation on it at all."

"And that's bad?" Iris asked.

"This tag would be off the charts regarding how much radiation would have been found in the nuclear plant," Cisco added. "In this case, it would be carried on any, and all, workers to give a reading on how much exposure a body has to radiation, most importantly to their vital organs."

"It's the lack of radiation that's confusing," Professor Stein spoke up. "Almost like it was sucked away in a vacuum."

"It would have to be something like that for all the machines around Central City to malfunction all at once," Caitlin said. "Cisco, you had mentioned that this meta-human grew larger in size at the same time. There's an undeniable correlation between the two events. I've also been able to lift fingerprints as well. I'm sure you'll confirm their identity when comparing to the CCPD's database; if he has any record on file, of course."

"Barry and Joe already have an idea on who it is," Cisco said. "I'm sure this will help."

"It's either that, or, if you have a blood sample of this guy, you'll have a more concrete answer," Caitlin said. "With that much radiation, there's no way his blood wouldn't show some aspects of radiation poisoning. If it's enough to take down many machines around Central City, there will be more obvious signs."

"We can't find him," Iris said with a frown. "Where are we going to get a blood sample?"

"Averey's already helped us out with that," Cisco said, snapping his fingers together. "We need to get to S.T.A.R. Labs. Thanks, Caitlin."

"Of course," Caitlin replied with a hint of a smile. "Good luck. I hope everything works out well. Be safe." She locked eyes with Iris who matched her smile and tilted her chin downwards in a brief nod. No words needed to be said; they both knew the underlying implication in Caitlin's words. Even so, she wasn't ready to talk to anyone about how she was feeling, despite knowing Iris was one person who would understand the most.

Her office cleared, and Caitlin stared at the open door, listening for the retreating footsteps to fade before getting back to work.

* * *

Shifting his weight from foot to foot, Barry didn't know where to look. The interior of Iron Heights wasn't the most interesting spectacle. Gray walls. Gray floors. Gray ceiling tiles that he had counted numerous times since he had first set foot through the heavy doors 15 years ago. Throughout the years he had mastered looking through things; walls, vending machines, posters, and the people who were craning their necks to get a good look at him.

Whether it was because of his name or a normal action in the waiting room – even he took a quick look around at everyone waiting with him – he still tried to avoid eye contact. They were all there for the same somber reason: to visit someone restricted from their lives. And it was sad to see kids who were younger than him when he first started visiting Iron Heights, clutching tightly to their guardians, shocked into silence. It wasn't fair that anyone that young had to make these kinds of visits.

He turned when he heard the familiar sound of a heavy metal door opening. A police officer, whose keys jangled with every step, stepped out of the back room. He looked tired, and his shoulders slumped as he started his routine, "Step this way. Remember that while you are here to visit your families, you are also entering a dangerous area. There will be no touching. A handshake, a kiss or a hug is permitted within reason. We have every right to end a visitation at our discretion. We do not allow conjugal visits at Iron Heights so don't ask about it. You have two hours. Remember, this…"

"Is as special for them as it is for you." Barry whispered the final words along with the officer.

"As I read off your name, please stand in front of me." The officer lifted the clipboard in his hand, using the other to draw an imaginary line in front of him. He cleared his throat. Barry stopped shifting his weight and moved to stand in front of the guard. "Allen, Bartho—oh." Startled, the officer looked up and down from his clipboard to Barry. "Right, ok. Anthony, Melissa; Baker, Doug." Down the list, it went until the last of those sitting in the waiting room were in line. "Follow me."

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Barry kept his gaze on the back of the officer's head. He didn't need to follow anyone. Henry Allen was such a known inmate, he was barely ever brought into the main visitor's room. It wasn't all it was cracked up to be anyway: the room was just as gray, just as tension filled, but also had a photography area set up in the corner. With a gray brick backdrop, inmates could get a picture of their family and friends to keep them going.

Barry wasn't sure if he would have even posed for a picture if given the opportunity. The no touching rule still applied to a degree. No one could forget where it was that they were. Smiles would be captured in the camera, but their eyes still held sadness in them. Soon after, they would be swept out of the room until the next block of visiting hours.

"This is your room, Allen," the officer said, stopping in front of a door. "Same rules apply. When your time is up, you will hear a knock. You will come to the door and wait to be led back out. You will not wander. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I understand." He always did.

The officer unlocked the door and motioned for Barry to enter, which he did without a backwards glance. His pace quickened when he spotted his dad sitting behind the glass wall. Glasses perched at the end of his nose, chin lifted upwards, eyes squinting through the rectangle lenses, Henry Allen read as much of the newspaper as he could, angling it towards the overhead hanging light. He only set the paper aside when Barry lowered himself in the seat opposite of him, jamming the telephone to his ear. It was just the two of them; just the way he liked it.

"Seems like you've had a rough time, Slugger," Henry said. Barry closed his eyes. He could never get tired of his dad's voice: deep, smooth, and loving. "And you don't have a scratch on you."

"You should've seen it initially," Barry said with a wry smile. He lifted his hand, flexing his fingers. They popped with each curl. The stiffness and swelling had disappeared in half and hour, the pain in half that time. "It wasn't pretty. It probably looked worse than those times I'd come home after being chased by bullies."

"Last I remember, you won those fights." Henry leaned closer to the glass, briefly glancing over his shoulder. He lowered his voice. "Flash Day, huh? How was that? I would have loved to have been able to go."

"Yeah, that would have been great," Barry replied. The two men stared at each other for a moment before they broke out in a grin and matching chuckles.

"Well, either way, I'm honored to have a visit from the Flash whenever I can get it," Henry replied. Lifting his hand, he drew a circle on the glass with his index finger. "I'm proud of you, son." Barry's smile widened. "I'm sorry you can't have a day recognizing your achievements without something happening."

"Can't say I didn't expect it. I was out in the open, everyone was expecting me to show up."

Henry's eyebrows crinkled. "You weren't going to go, were you?" he asked.

"Look at what happened! I went and someone tried to squash Mayor Bellows with a hot dog cart. There were _so many people_ there. People were trampled and shoved. They got hurt. Luckily, nothing too serious." Barry was silent for a moment before adding, "I didn't even get to _touch_ the key to the city."

Henry burst out laughing. Taking in a deep breath, he looked like he was going to say something else and started laughing again. Barry watched him in confusion before a small escaped from him; quiet and breathy. His shoulders shook, and then he found himself laughing with him. Of all the things to be frustrated with, whether he touched the key to the city shouldn't be a priority.

"The key to the city," Henry said with a sigh as his laughter faded. "My son. I wish I could tell everyone in here." He lifted an eyebrow. "Considering how many people in here aren't too happy with the Flash, I don't think it'd be a good idea. Some of them still wake up raging about you."

"Is everything ok in there?" Barry asked.

"Everything's fine." Henry gave Barry a significant stare, countering the one his son gave him. "Trust me, no one's been giving me a hard time. If they're smart, they won't." Lifting a hand, he rubbed at his eyes. "I'm the only one here who can stop them from going to the infirmary." Barry crinkled his eyebrows together. Henry glanced sideways at the closed door on his side of the glass partition. "If they don't want the prison doctors to ask them a lot of questions about their injuries, they'll come to me."

"And you do it?" Barry asked.

Henry blinked. "You'll do a lot of things in here to make sure you see another day," he replied. Barry frowned. "It's _prison_. People aren't here to make friends. You have to find a way to stay out of everyone's way, yet make them respect you." His grip tightened on the phone in his hands. "Don't look at me like that, Slugger, it's fine."

Barry rubbed his hand over his face, squeezing his eyes shut. "So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" Henry asked. Slowly opening his eyes, Barry went back and forth on whether he was going to explain what he was feeling. Settling on a shrug, the corners of his lips turned downwards. "You can try and deny it all you want, but I can see that something is wrong. It's ok to let out how you're feeling. You can always talk to me; you know that."

"I know." Barry repeatedly nodded his head. "I know." He swallowed. "I feel like no matter what I do as the Flash, it's the wrong thing." Henry placed his elbow on the table, propping his chin up with his fist. "People keep getting hurt because of me and they don't heal the way I do."

"Not even the Flash can heal emotionally as quickly as his body does," Henry pointed out.

Barry opened and closed his mouth. "Why didn't you want me to help mom?" he asked.

Henry let out a short laugh through his nose. "You're not going to like what I have to say," he said after an extended stretch of silence, "but you need to hear it."

"Ok."

Henry's tongue parted his lips and he quickly wetted them before speaking. "You don't think that if time travel was available for everybody they wouldn't want to go back and try and fix things in their life?" he asked. Barry reached up a hand, sliding it down the back of his neck. "You don't think I haven't spent time in here wondering what I could have done differently that night?" Barry pressed his lips together, feeling them start to shake. "I don't think it's exactly fair that you have the ability to change past events in your life when no one else can."

"I didn't choose to have these abilities!" Barry burst out. "If it wasn't for me, Caitlin wouldn't have become a widow the _exact same day_ she got married." He slapped his hand down onto the table. "I have these abilities and I couldn't even stop Wells. Someone else did that. Mom would never have died if I, in the future, had just defeated him."

"I don't pay attention to what could happen in the future," Henry said, shaking his head back and forth. "Not five minutes from now, not five seconds from now. Right now, in this moment, is what I'm focusing on. Talking to you means so much more to me than you could ever know."

"You can't imagine a future where you're not trapped in Iron Heights?" Barry asked. "You're free and can go anywhere you want whenever you want? Where we could be together?"

"We're together now," Henry insisted.

"Not like how we're supposed to be. You and mom were supposed to be there as I grew up, and when I had my first girlfriend, my first heartbreak, when I get married–"

"Stop."

"Maybe things would've been different with us and Averey."

"Barry." Henry placed his hand sideways on the glass as if he was trying to put his hand over his son's mouth. Barry's words died on his lips. "I can never thank you enough for always keeping up the hope that I could be out of here one day. I know I've always told you not to dwell, but it has helped me day after day. If that ever happens, it will happen in the right way. Not because you force a change."

Barry looked around the room. "It would be so easy," he whispered. A burst of speed here, a crackle of lightning there, and his dad would be out of Iron Heights. If he couldn't change the past, then he could at least change the present.

"Living a life on the run would not be easy, Slugger. Sure, we'd be together, but we would never again live how you want it to be. I promise you, everything will be ok. It always is."

"No, dad, it's not," Barry replied. "I was _this close_ to getting you out of here." He held his index finger and thumb close together. "You know I had found the man who killed mom. I think I could have gotten him to confess and now…" Barry dropped his hand down onto the table top. "I don't know what else to do."

"Live your life," Henry instantly replied. "That's what I've _always_ wanted you to do."

"I know. But, I can't just forget that you're in here."

"I never asked for you to forget." Henry struck Barry with a pointed stare, eyebrows twitching upwards. "Just move on. Don't worry about me. I wouldn't ask any different of you if I was still living at home. I'm _always_ here rooting for you." Barry pressed the phone harder to his ear. Henry's nostrils flared as he sighed through his nose. "I have to say, I'm glad you didn't change anything. I know how strongly you felt about saving your mother."

"This wasn't how it was supposed to be." Barry's voice cracked. "The Reverse-Flash changed everything that night. I would only be changing it back!"

"At the cost of everything?" Henry asked. "I truly believe this was the life you were meant to have, Barry." Barry opened his mouth to protest, but Henry quickly talked over him. "That's not to say I don't miss your mother. I do. Every second I think about her. I wish she could see how you've grown up. But up until your coma, you didn't know any different. You didn't know about meta-humans, or time travel, or anything. In some ways, I think that was better for you."

"But now I know," Barry replied.

"That's true. So, what are you going to do about it?" Henry settled back in his chair. Tucking the phone between his cheek and his shoulder, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Sit and wonder what you could have done differently? Or keep moving forward, keep learning, and keep giving the people of this city—especially your old man—hope? Hope that in the end, no matter what, things will turn out ok?"

Barry shifted the phone from one ear to the other. "Dad…" he sighed through his nose, "you're not old."

Henry laughed at the sudden change in topics. "I appreciate that," he replied. "Just remember you're going to end up looking like this one day." Barry smiled, and it faded a second later.

"You give _me_ hope, dad," Barry said. Henry blinked in surprise. "If you can make through all of this…I can be the Flash."

"You _are_ the Flash," Henry corrected him, whispering harshly into the telephone mouthpiece.

"I am the Flash," Barry whispered back. "Thanks, dad."

"Anytime, son. So, Slugger, how about you tell me about the baseball scores?"

After discussing sports, life with the Wests, and his job, Barry left the visiting room in somewhat higher spirits than he had been in before. Gathering his belongings from his locker in the waiting room, he stilled when he saw that his phone had a S.T.A.R. Labs security alert banner flashing on the screen.

"Oh, that's _your_ phone." Whirling around, Barry faced the officer sitting behind the front desk. "Geeze Louise, kid, it was driving me crazy! It's been going off for the past half hour."

"Sorry," Barry apologized, turning his phone to silent. "I thought I had turned it off." He took a step closer towards the door, and stopped when he spotted the Weathersby and Stone representative sitting in one of the many empty chairs.

Taking long strides, he stepped past the man and out the front doors of Iron Heights. The man fell into step beside him. "When you want to talk to someone, you really go all out, don't you?" Barry asked, annoyed.

"Mr. Allen, I've been to many places you have been known to occupy," the man said. "Sooner or later, I knew you would wind up here."

"Did you have a private investigator stalk me or something?" Barry asked.

"I promise I'll be out of your hair after we talk for a minute," the man explained. "About S.T.A.R. Labs."

"What else is there to talk about?" Barry asked. "I already read the letter. I know I own it now. What else do I need to do?"

"Watch this," the man replied, reaching into his pocket. Barry watched as he removed a thumb drive from his pocket, holding it out to him. "Surely, you can do that. Your generation is so hooked to your screens nowadays, it won't be too hard to slip this in to whatever daily videos you watch, right? Greg Turk, by the way."

Pressing his lips together, he shook the man's hand. It was the least he could do. He had spent months avoiding the man. Greg tried slipping the thumb drive into his hand, but Barry wouldn't take it, and it fell to the ground between them. Greg's gaze flickered towards the thumb drive, but he didn't move to pick it up.

"The only way you will fully own S.T.A.R. Labs is by watching that video," he explained. "Otherwise, it's up for grabs."

"Why did Dr. Wells even leave it to me?" Barry asked.

"Don't know," Greg replied, adjusting the coat to his suit. "But, you'll find out when you watch it."

"You haven't…?"

"Not my position to, Mr. Allen. I just deliver the documents." An annoyed expression appeared on his face. "Even if that means I have to travel far and wide to give it to said recipient."

Barry sighed. The man was just doing his job. "I apologize," he said.

"It's understandable," Greg said with a single nod. "Dr. Wells's death was sudden. I understand how confusing a time this may be for you and you are receiving a very important part of his life." He slid his hands into his pockets. "You may not understand why he's leaving S.T.A.R. Labs to you, but maybe you will after you watch whatever is on that video."

Barry stared down at the thumb drive just as his phone's alarm pealed. Sighing heavily, he reached down to pick it up. "Do I call you after I watch it?" he asked. "What do you do? Ask me a question to confirm that I have done so?" Simple fix: he could just _say_ he watched the video and have everything passed on to him.

"Funny," Greg said with a fleeting smile. "After the video message is viewed _in full_ …" He let his sentence hang in the air, staring at Barry. Barry shifted his weight from foot to foot. "It will automatically send myself a notification that it has been viewed, and then I'll get the paperwork going. You and I will no longer be in contact with each other after that moment."

 _Goodie._ Barry kept the thought to himself and instead opted for a nod. Sliding the thumb drive into his pocket, he turned his body to leave. "Well, I'm sorry, again, for having you chase me around," he said, "but I have to go now."

"Of course," Greg agreed. He offered his hand a second time. "It was a pleasure, Mr. Allen."

"Sure." Barry shook the man's hand before walking in the direction of the bus stop. Glancing repeatedly over his shoulder, he waited until he was out of eyesight of Greg Turk before he sped away from Iron Heights and all the way to S.T.A.R. Labs, gaping at Iris, Joe, Cisco, and Professor Stein who were huddled around the computer in the Cortex. "What the…?"

"Nice to see you too," Joe commented from where he was leaning in the doorway of the medical bay.

"Um, it's really not," he said. "I mean, technically, you all are trespassing. So…" Waving his arms, he motioned for everyone to leave.

"You may own S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry," Cisco said to his friend, "but you can't keep us out. This is just as much our place, too."

"How else are we supposed to help you?" Iris asked.

 _You don't._ Barry ran a hand over his face, briefly pulling his bottom lip downwards before it snapped back into place.

Iris fixed him with a hard stare. "If you're not going to do anything, Barry, we're going to do the best we can with what's at our disposal," she said in a tight voice. "In fact, were _you_ aware that when this meta-human grew large all the x-ray machines around the park had gone haywire?" Barry shifted his gaze to the floor. "Did you know that we had gone to Caitlin to try and understand why it was happening?"

Silence filled the room as she waited for him to answer.

"No, I didn't," he quietly admitted.

"And did you know that your best bet at finding this meta—"

"Might I suggest we dub him the Atom Smasher?" Professor Stein asked, lifting a finger into the air. "It's my understanding that you name them all, and what better moniker for someone like him?"

"I like it!" Cisco declared with a wide smile.

"Did you know that your best bet at finding Atom Smasher would be at any place you'd find a sudden lack of radioactivity?" Iris continued as if she wasn't interrupted.

Barry shook his head from side to side.

"Of course not," Iris replied, "because you haven't taken the time to let us help you."

"Look, I appreciate it, but I don't need your help."

"Yes, you do, Barry." Iris's gaze hardened. "You've got a team behind you, ready and willing to help you out."

"What team?" Barry asked with an incredulous laugh. "There is no team anymore. _I'm_ the Flash, ok?" He thumped himself on the chest. " _I'm_ the one who's going out there fighting the metas. Not you." He pointed at Iris. "Not you." He pointed at Cisco. "And not you, not since…" He stopped before he could say Ronnie's name. He swallowed thickly. "Not anymore."

"Barry," Joe said, sounding aghast. "We're all here doing what we do best to help you out. Don't try and push us away. It's not going to work. We're not going anywhere."

"You realize I can just run you out of here, right?" Barry asked.

"We'll just keep coming back," Cisco said defiantly. He scratched at a spot behind her ear. "Besides, I still need access to my office here, what with all those projects I need to get done for Captain Singh. So, if you could just let me still…that'd be great." Iris shook her head.

"The point is, Barry," she said, "that without me, or Cisco, or Professor Stein, or Caitlin, or my dad investigating this with our areas of expertise, we wouldn't know any of this." She stepped around the computer and gently touched his arm. "Things haven't changed here. We all want to keep Central City safe, to keep _you_ safe. Please, let us help."

"No," Barry said, shaking his head back and forth. "No, no, I can't let you put yourselves in danger like that."

"That's what you don't understand," Joe said with an impatient sigh. "You're not letting us do anything. We're choosing how we help you. We know the risks and we accept it." He stepped closer to Barry. "I know you've been having a hard time, but you're not the only one who's lost someone. You're not the only one who has felt lost, or angry, or sad lately. We all feel it; maybe not to the same degree as you, but that doesn't mean we don't have an idea of what you're going through."

"You don't understand," Barry said, shaking his head. "You're not a meta, you don't know get it."

"I don't get what it's like to be responsible for the safety of those around me?" Joe asked. "I'm a cop, remember? Everyone is always looking at the police force to keep people safe. I may not know what it's like to be a metahuman, but I know what it's like to feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. Do you want to know what made that easier?"

"What?" Barry asked before he could stop himself.

"You and Iris," Joe replied. Iris smiled softly, squeezing Barry's arm. "I could have had the toughest day of my career, and I would come home and you two would be so excited to see me. You couldn't wait to tell me what had happened in your day. You two kept me going even when I was at my lowest, even when I couldn't outright tell you everything about a case or how I was feeling. You just need to find that one person to trust, to help you with what you're feeling, and I promise you, you can get through each day." Barry's gaze drifted over towards Iris before he forced it away.

"We've got a lock on Atom Smasher," Cisco announced. Barry turned to look at the monitors on the wall, where a map of a hazardous waste facility. "There are absolutely no signs of radiation there and for a place like this, it should be off the charts.

"Duty calls." Before anyone could say anything else, he rushed into his suit, and was out the door. He found leaving his communications system behind a lot harder than when he first entered S.T.A.R. Labs.

* * *

"One, two, PUNCH! One, two, DUCK! One, two, KICK! One, two – good." Daniel clapped his foam pad covered hands together before lowering them down to his sides. "One more set of sit ups and you're done."

Breathing heavily, Averey saluted and removed the pink gloves on her hands, and the pink booties on her feet. Unravelling the tape from around her hands, she lowered herself onto the grass and reached for her iPod to continue the podcast she was listening to before. Sweat dripped down her hairline and towards the back of her head. Blades of grass stuck to her shoulder blades, irritating her skin.

"The Confederate States of America were clearly outnumbered during the Civil War. Numbers, however, weren't of most importance. The will to fight was what led the CSA into battle: their end goal was not to declare victory through brute strength. They were willing to fight until they wore th—"

 _Pop._

Averey's eyes snapped open at the loud sound covering the voice on the historical podcast she was listening to. Pausing mid sit up, she yanked an earbud out of her ear, and looked around the fenced in backyard. Birds chirped. A soft breeze blew, rustling the leaves of the tree growing above her. The sound of a high-powered car barreling down the street, engine revving.

 _Poppop._

As the car backfire shattered the peacefulness, Averey's view of the backyard broke apart and was replaced by the dark tunnel of the S.T.A.R. Labs Pipeline. Air rushed past her body and ears, nearly drowning out the choking, gasping, and coughing that added to the cacophony of noise. Eddie was on the floor, face contorted in pain, tears sliding down his cheeks, blood soaking into his shirt. Her hands and knees hurt as they slammed into the ground in her rush to be by his side. The image changed, and she was trapped in a violently shaking room, large pieces of the building falling on top of her, pushing her harder and harder towards the equally hard floor.

"Ava!" Averey shook violently, taking in a heaping breath of air. Eyes wide, they settled on the back door of her home where her mom stood, waving her hand to catch her attention. "You have got a visitor. Come on."

Blinking repeatedly, Averey gathered her t-shirt with shaking hands and pulled it down over her sweaty tank top. Her discarded shoes and socks, towel, iPod, and water bottle were shoved into a drawstring bag, and Averey took slow steps towards the back door, trying to control her breathing. It only quickened when she saw who was seated on the living room sofa.

"Hi, Audra," she said to her probation officer as she rounded the furniture to drop down onto the empty space between her parents on the couch. Audra, dressed in a navy polo and khaki pants, her red hair pulled back into a tight ponytail nodded in greeting. Her lips were pursed, deep wrinkles cutting in from all sides. "How ya going?"

"I am doing well considering everything that had occurred at Flash Day," Audra replied, her voice tight. "Luckily, things turned out far better than it could have. I am here not only to do my usual check in, but to also look at that." She pointed her index fingers at the monitor on Averey's ankle. "Seems we have a bit of a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Averey asked, aware of her mom's hand flying to grip her knee.

"I will be honest, it is something I have never seen before," Audra replied, shaking her head. "The data we have from tracking you since yesterday has been off."

"Off how?" Daniel asked, leaning forward in his seat. He rested his elbows on his knees, putting his mouth in his hands. "Ma'am, I promise, we've been keeping a close eye on her, getting her to and from work, and back in time for curfew."

"I know you have. That is not the problem."

"Huh?"

Ellie elbowed Averey in the side. "What's the problem, then?" she asked.

"Her ankle monitor has been tampered with somehow," Audra replied, letting out a sigh through her nose. "It is the only thing that makes sense."

"I promise, I haven't done anything to it," Averey said, waving her hands in the air. Heat suddenly collected around the collar of her shirt, climbing up her neck to burn her ears. Her stomach churned, and an influx of saliva suddenly rushed into her mouth. She swallowed. "Give me a bit and I can catch you up on everything I've done."

Audra's gaze softened slightly despite the way she was sitting straight up in her seat. "I am sorry, I know it was nothing you did. The discrepancy occurred shortly after Flash Day. One minute, you are in the heart of the park, and a second later, we got a ping indicating that you were blocks away."

"We had lost her in the crowd when the meta-human attacked," Ellie said, "we got out of there as soon as we could."

"Which is where I think the malfunction could have occurred," Audra explained. "Everyone was pushing and shoving and being trampled. A well-placed smash into a corner could disrupt something. Going back through everything we had recorded, we have also noticed an earlier cause for alarm." She fixed her gaze on Averey, crossing her arms over her chest. "Whenever you go to the gym, we know exactly how long it should take you to get back home. Your most recent trip was shortened by seven minutes. Mr. and Mrs. Kingston, you have to admit, that's a pretty significant change."

"Her battery was dying," Daniel explained, nodding, "she was rushing to get home. Surely that would count for the time change."

"I _was_ rushing," Averey earnestly agreed, the words barely tumbling out of her mouth. That change, she couldn't count for, but the other one…that was all Barry. It was the only thing that made sense for her to be in one place from one moment to the next. If there were any other issues besides that, his electricity must've short-circuited the monitor.

For Audra to make a house visit, that must mean her recorded data had been all over the place. Did that mean she was in violation of her house arrest? Her stomach lurched. She was so close. Pressing her lips tightly together, she rubbed her hands together in her lap (willing them to stop shaking), hoping that wasn't the case.

"I ran all the way. I plugged it in as soon as I could," she whispered. "The battery never died."

"I would have been notified if it had been, like I had first explained to you," Audra replied. Her eyes narrowed. "You did not take the bus or any other form of transportation? You just ran?"

"No ma'am."

Audra's tongue pushed against the top of her lip, poking it out. "A lot of these alerts for strap tampering isn't anyone actually trying to remove anything, it's just wear and tear. We get a lot of tampering alerts, from many people, every day. It's hard to follow it all." She uncrossed her arms. "Nevertheless, I'm going to need to take that from you to get it looked at," Audra replied. "We need to investigate further to see what's going on with it." She checked her watch. "You'll be issued with a new device first thing in morning; consider this a mandatory scheduling of an appointment. I understand you have work in the morning, and I will allow this absence just as long as you can assure that you will be there as soon as our appointment is finished."

"I can guarantee she'll be there on time and be home on time," Ellie said, squeezing Averey's knee. Averey placed her hand on top of her mom's, bringing her other hand to her mouth to bite down on her thumb. "She won't miss curfew."

"Ok, good. You have been keeping well on track, I hope to see it through in these final days."

"Wait." Averey removed her thumb from her mouth. "That's it? Nothing else?"

"Not until tomorrow morning," Audra replied, reaching for the bag sitting beside her. "Foot up." Leaning back, Averey lifted her leg, setting her bare foot down onto the table. Audra removed a small pair of needle nose pliers, jabbing it into the side of the box portion of the ankle monitor. Doing the same on the other side, the front of the box popped open and the band slipped loose. "Ok, that will do it."

Pulling her foot into her lap, Averey let out a long sigh as she scratched at the free skin. She stopped mid-scratch when the realization hit her. She wouldn't get another monitor until tomorrow morning. Which meant… Averey punched the air with her fists before starting to jump up and down on the couch. "FREEEEDOOOM!"

"Only until tomorrow morning," Audra insisted, pointing a finger at her. She smiled for the first time since Averey stepped into the house. All the wrinkles and the stern demeanor disappeared. "Congratulations. Until nine o'clock tomorrow morning, you are a free woman."

"Cheers, mate!" With a _thud_ , Averey jumped to the floor. "You're a legend." She offered Audra her hand and vigorously. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"You're not too far from e end here, Miss Moore," Audra said as she gathered her belongings. "You're doing really well. It's around this time people do something to put more time on their bid. Don't be one of those people."

"She won't, we promise," Daniel said, shaking her hand. "Thank you. I'll walk you out."

"That's ok," Audra said with a smile. "Enjoy this time with your daughter. I'll see you tomorrow." As soon as the front door closed behind her, all the tension in the room lifted – Averey could see it leaving her parent's shoulders as they came together in a tight embrace.

"We should celebrate," Ellie said, clasping her hands together, lifting onto the balls of her feet. "Let's go get some ice cream." She turned towards Averey who was doing a jig around the table. "Ava, do you know if they have Golden Gaytime anywhere in Central City?"

Averey stopped dancing, her hair flying around her face. "They don't," she replied, brushing her hair back from her face, "and I wouldn't suggest asking for it around here. But, I know a great ice cream place near here. Just let me shower first."

"Take your time," Daniel said and kissing Ellie on top of the head. "We need to stop by the servo and get some petrol, anyway."

Averey took the stairs up to her room two at a time and hopped in to the shower. She didn't even have to hang her leg out of the tub to make sure the monitor didn't get wet. The stinging of her freshly exposed skin, hurt in a good way, just as the hard water pounded on her healing bruises. It wasn't too long ago she'd be doing the same at S.T.A.R. Labs after regrouping with the rest of Team Flash after a particularly hard meta fight.

Barry would go around doling out high fives and releasing stress by laughing about it all with Joe on how they ended up defeating the meta of the day. Cisco would throw in a pop culture reference that would have Caitlin rolling her eyes and remind them just how hard it was to get through it as she patched them up. Averey would just be happy to be part of it all, contributing wherever she could. Whether that be another set of eyes on the battlefield, or another point of view to whatever plan they could come up with or why a meta was acting the way they were.

She may not understand all the technical jargon, but being part of something that unique was

After finishing her shower and quickly changing, Averey grabbed her wallet and her shoes, she bounded down the stairs and lowered herself on to the small flight of stairs leading to the front door to put on her shoes.

"I'm just saying I think we may have handled Flash Day wrong, that's all." At Daniel's low tone, Averey glanced over her shoulder, finding the area behind her empty. Getting to her feet, she leaned over the banister, peering through the kitchen back into the living room. Narrowing her eyes, the picture of her parents pulled in closer to her face until it was as if they were standing in front of her.

"Looking back on it, of course people will be curious about her." Daniel lifted Ellie's coat out of her to slip her arms in to. "They're going to ask."

"What was I supposed to do?" Ellie asked, pulling her dark hair out from between her shoulders and the coat. She adjusted the coat and zipped it part way. "Just let him insinuate that our daughter is a drug dealer?"

"No." Daniel sighed scratching the stubble on his chin. "Or maybe, yes. Who cares what he thinks?" Ellie frowned. "We could have explained it to him. He won't be the only one who will comment on it if they recognize her or see it. I just think you could have handled it better." Ellie scoffed, lifting her eyebrows as she reached for her purse. "Sorry. Not just you, all of us."

" _You_ didn't say anything." She roughly pulled the strap to her purse over her head. It got caught in her hair and the hood of her coat and Daniel stepped in to help.

"Exactly my point, El," he said. "I should have said something instead of praising you for how you handled it."

"You've never had a problem with me handling things like that before." Ellie finally looked up at him.

"OK, yes, you're right. That was before: when Ave needed you to handle things that way." He started patting his pockets, looking for his keys. "She's 26. She's not a little girl, anymore. She needs to learn how to handle things like this by herself. She doesn't need you to jump in before she has the chance to figure things out."

"So, what, I'm a bad influence on her?" Ellie crossed her arms over her chest. "Excuse me for trying to protect my daughter." Daniel closed his eyes, nostrils flaring as he let out a breath through his nose.

" _Our_ daughter," he quietly corrected her. "And I didn't say there was anything wrong with protecting her. The way you've handled raising Averey is one of the things that made me fall in love with you." He briefly cupped her cheeks, giving her a smile. "I just think we have made things way easy for her is what I'm saying." He put his hands to his chest. "I know I've had a hand in that: paying for anything she's ever wanted. Throwing money at her problems."

Ellie's shoulders dropped, and she bobbed her head in a nod. "She was just so happy," she explained, throwing her hands out in front of her. "It was the first time in a while she wasn't angry or snapping at someone. Then he had to go and say something like that."

"I know, I know," Daniel said, looping an arm around his wife's shoulders. "It sucked." He led her towards the front door. "It's over now."

"No, it's not. She's been bottling up so much since her sentencing. I mean, two of her mates passed away, and I don't think I've ever seen her cry about it."

 _You're not going to, either._ Averey squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them, her vision snapped back to normal. "Stop worrying, mum. I'm fine. It's been six months, I've accepted it." Her parents exchanged glances and she shrugged. "I eavesdropped." Even if they were out of ear shot, she could have just used her abilities to read their lips.

"We should have just told you to your face," Daniel replied, retrieving his keys from his pockets. "Just because you've accepted it doesn't mean you're ok." Annoyed, Averey's eyes widened before they shifted to the side. "I'm just saying it's ok to let out what you're feeling occasionally."

"Yeah, well, right now what I'm feeling like getting ice cream," Averey replied turning towards the door. "Which, by the way, I'm paying for." Anything to get away from the conversation.

Despite the distance between them and the home, the tension had followed them her attempts to leave the conversation and growing sense of tension behind at the house, it lingered in the ice cream parlor, as well. Only it wasn't just hovering between her and her parents, nor between Ellie and Daniel. Often, Averey caught herself staring at the small corner table she had occupied not too long ago. Only when ice cream started dribbling from her cone down to her wrist did she snap out of her deep thoughts only to find Ellie and Daniel watching her closely.

"You really want to have this conversation, yeah?" she asked. "Ok, let's see. How do I feel?" Averey pursed her lips, pretending to thin. "Eddie died. I have no problem accepting that. Just like I can accept that I can't go anywhere without permission. Or see anyone without having it approved? So why not just stay at home? Become a hermit?" The cone in her hand crunched as she tightened her grip on it. "I mean, what else am I supposed to do while I wait to be free from _this?_ "

She swung her foot up onto the counter top, the bottom of her shoe making a slapping sound on the table top. The napkin dispenser and sprinkle shakers shook form side to side before settling. With her free hand, Averey indicated the area where her ankle monitor used to sit. Roughly pushing up her pants leg, she used her index finger to finger the ring of red puffy skin around her ankle. Just looking at it, she knew some part of it was going to scar if not leave an unsightly tan line.

"Oh, honey." Ellie frowned, making a _tsk_ sound with her tongue, lowering the spoon from her mouth back down to the cup of chocolate ice cream she and Daniel were sharing. "We know it's hard. We know."

Averey lowered her foot back to the floor. Upon doing so, she pressed the ball of her foot to the floor, bouncing her knee. She barely heard her what her mom had to say; the floodgates were open, and her words crashed out, tumbling over each other.

"I could only have two people over my birthday," she said, a bubble of saliva growing at the side of her mouth, "not that we could even go anywhere to celebrate it. I couldn't see dad on Father's Day, and I couldn't be there for my friend after she lost her husband." After a drag of her tongue around her cone, she loudly smacked her lips. "Let's not forget I dumped a great guy because I couldn't actually _go out_ with him and I've been stuck inside watching the world go by, and it's all my fault." She let out an odd laugh. "Oh! And to top it off, my best friend is dead!" Averey let out a breath of air, blowing her hair out of her face before she leaned back in her chair, balancing on the back legs. "And the worst part of it was I didn't even realize he was that until he was gone. I mean, what kind of person am I if I didn't notice that?"

"A human one," Daniel replied, his spoonful of ice cream hovering in front of his mouth. "You're human, you make mistakes. Now you need to learn from it and see where everything goes from here, yeah?"

"Yeah." Averey cheeks puffed up as she let out a heavy sigh. "It just sucks."

"You realize that's the first time you've admitted that?" Ellie asked. "Ava, your father and I are here for you, but if you can't tell us what you're thinking or feeling, who else can you tell?"

There was one person. But he wasn't talking to her. Or to anyone for that matter. If she kept reminding herself of that, it wouldn't suck so much.

"Ummm." Her thought strayed when a flash of light caught her eye. Lifting her eyes above Daniel's head, she watched a circle of light swing across the sky. Even more peculiarly, it had a familiar looking lightning bolt in the center of it. "Is it ok if I split?"

"Is everything ok?" Daniel asked.

"Mhm!" Averey gave her the best reassuring smile she could muster. "I was just thinking about what you said. I want to talk to Barry."

"We could go with you," Ellie said, ripping a handful of napkins from the dispenser by her elbow. She looked over at Daniel when he gently elbowed her in the side. "What?"

"Let her go, El," Daniel said, patting his wife's hand. "She's just going to talk to Barry. If we don't give her space now, we're going to have to follow her everywhere when she does have more freedom."

"That'll, for sure, attract all the guys," Averey said with a shake of her head. Daniel threw a wink at her. Chuckling, she quickly finished her ice cream cone and got to her feet. "Love you. I'll text when I'm on the way back." She placed a sticky kiss on her parents' cheeks. "Cheers. Bye!" Walking quickly, yet as nonchalantly as possible, she left the ice cream parlor, got down to the end of the street and started running towards S.T.A.R. Labs.

Whether it was the apprehension of what could possibly be going wrong, or her excitement to be finally getting back to the building, she wasn't sure, but the time it took for her to get there seemed shorter than it usually would have. Coming upon the usual fence surrounding the area, Averey quickly scaled it, repelling down the other side until her feet hit the asphalt ground. Brushing her hair back from her face, she stepped over to an east facing door, coming upon the keypad.

Breathing heavily, she quickly typed in the old five-digit passcode she knew, unsurprised when she was given an error message in response. _Hmmm._ Leaning closer to the keypad, she focused in on the buttons looking for any small detail that would indicate which buttons would be used. _The could would have to have been tested out the code a few times._ No traces of food residue, natural oils from fingers, or any differences between button use over time. It was a whole new system. _Reckon it needs to be a code everyone would remember, but no one would guess._

Numeric value for S.T.A.R. Labs would be too obvious and easy pass codes like 12345, and 00000 was child's play. She also quickly ruled out birth dates and death dates. Not even the date of the particle accelerator going on line was the answer. Rubbing her chin, she thought hard. _What would Cisco pick?_ There were too many movies references he could choose from. Then again, like he said, his life had started to turn out as hard to believe as a movie. That gave her an idea.

"10714," she whispered to herself as she put in the number. ACCESS GRANTED. Averey punched the air with her fist before opening the door and slipping into the dark halls of S.T.A.R. Labs, making a beeline for the Cortex.

Suddenly she felt very stupid walking at a crouch, head occasionally swiveling behind her to check her six o'clock. S.T.A.R. Labs used to be a place she would traverse without a second thought, whether it was to Cisco's office, the Cortex, or where her Cisco Cycle was stationed. Maybe this was a bad idea. No one would project the Flash symbol to signal her while she was still on house arrest; it wasn't like they knew that she had just been momentarily released.

Rounding a corner, she spotted movement rushing towards her. Her muscles tensed, and she reacted quickly: blinking, the movements of the figure slowed. The figure ran on the outer edges of their feet, leaning towards the wall, hugging it closely as they moved. Their dark hair waved behind them. Jumping out of the way, restoring her vision to its usual speed, Averey avoided a collision with Iris at the last second. She didn't move fast enough to stop the loud scream that built up in her throat.

"AHHHHH!" Iris screamed back. Her heels clacked against the floor as she stumbled back in surprise, grabbing her chest. "Oh my god." Iris's chest heaved. "Wait. Averey?"

"Iris!" Averey put her hands to her knees, letting out a breath of air. "What's going on?"

"What are you doing here?" Iris asked at the same time.

"Jail break," Averey said deadpan as she straightened, "took my dad's truck and came straight over." Iris stared at her, eyebrows angling towards each other. Averey made a face. "Seriously? That was a joke."

"Not like it's the first time you let out some important information," Iris commented, brushing her hair back behind her ears.

"Fair enough." If it wasn't for her, Eddie wouldn't have kept her involvement with the Royal Flush Gang silent, allowing whatever strain they felt to encompass their relationship. Gripping the leg of her jeans, Averey lifted it. "Malfunctioning monitor, I've got until tomorrow morning. I saw your, uh, 'Flash Light', and came over."

Iris looked like she was going to laugh at the name for a moment before she licked her lips, putting her hands to his hips. "We're trying to lure Atom Smasher out to Barry," Iris explained, stepping past Averey. Averey fell into step beside her, quickening her pace to keep up with Iris's longer legs. "Cisco's been fixing his com-link. I'm heading to the Cortex now."

"What do you mean, fixing it?" Averey asked, falling into step beside her. "How did it break?"

"It's not broken, he just removed it from his suit." Iris shook her head. "Barry thought he could handle things on his own, and now we're scrambling to get in contact with him to help him out. He went after Atom Smasher and now the guy is chasing him all around the city. Barry can only run for so long."

"Who's Atom Smasher?"

"The meta-human that attacked him at the Flash Day rally. Professor Stein came up with it. Anyway, we found out Al Rothstein – that's his name—"

"Are you sure?" Averey stopped walking and Iris turned back to face her. "Mate, are you sure that's Al Rothstein?" Iris nodded. "But, that's not possible. Al Rothstein was one of the people who died in the initial accelerator explosion." Of all the information she had dug up in her initial research of Harrison Wells before her first trip to S.T.A.R. Labs the year prior, she had come across many memorial pieces about those who had lost their lives. She'd recognize his name anywhere. "And…hold on, wasn't he just found dead?"

"Which is the weird part," Iris said. "Thanks to you, we were able to test the blood of the meta you and Barry had fought and it matched with Rothstein's DNA that Barry had collected at the scene." She pushed up the sleeves to her shirt. "According to dad's investigation, he was in Hawaii when the accelerator went off, so it doesn't explain how he got his abilities. We've also ruled out twins—Al was the only one his mother gave birth to the same day."

"Do you think when Eddie…?" Averey's words came to a screeching halt when she saw Iris wince. Silence fell between them and Iris tried to fill it by clearing her throat. "I mean, when the Reverse-Flash was destroyed, do you think that may have changed things with Rothstein?"

"I don't know. But, Barry went off to fight him on his own. Cisco, Professor Stein, and I went to Caitlin to try and figure out what made him grow so big. It's radiation. Barry left before we could give him the information and he left his com-link behind. We've managed to tap into the security and intercom systems of some of the buildings he's managed to get into, but Rothstein is always one step behind him. Barry's in the city's plant now, and we were using that light to lure him to Barry to give him all the radiation he wants."

Averey didn't answer as she found a gun pointed in her face as they came upon the main doorway leading to the Cortex. Iris barely batted an eye before admonishing her dad for pointing his gun in their direction.

"Sorry, baby," Joe apologized, slowly lowering his weapon, "I heard you scream. I didn't know what to think; we weren't expecting anyone else." He frowned. "Cisco said he had worked on the security system."

"I did work on it!" Cisco said exasperatedly from behind him. He and Professor Stein turned away from the computers in front of them. His eyes widened. "What are you doing here?"

"You usually say 'welcome back', mate." Averey leaned against the door jamb, playing with the hem of her shirt. On the outside, she looked calm, on the inside, her stomach was twisting like a pretzel. Her uncertainty that her presence was really wanted was increasing by the second. Of course. no one was expecting her; she just suddenly showed up for crying out loud. "Am I not welcome?"

"How are you here?"

"Thanks to Barry, my ankle monitor wasn't recording data as well as it had initially been," Averey explained. "When he sped me out of Flash Day, his electricity must have fried it. I get a new one tomorrow morning."

"And she figured out your code to the security system," Joe replied.

"Picking the day Barry woke up from his coma," Averey commented, "it was pretty smart. Took me a bit to get, though, if that makes you feel better."

"So, you broke into S.T.A.R. Labs," Cisco replied. His lips twitched into a shadow of a smile. "Some things around here don't change."

"Some things do," Averey said, stepping forward to look at the computer screen they were all huddled around. "Barry went after Rothstein by himself? Iris said he left his com-link behind."

"Against his better judgement, yes," Professor Stein agreed. "We have, however, come up with a plan to stop him. Giving him an influx of radiation should over power him. You see, even with his enhanced abilities, there is a limit to how much radiation a human body can absorb."

Averey gasped. That sounded too final, even for them. Only so much a body could absorb? What would happen with the rest of the radiation? And what would happen to Rothstein? The heavy weight in her stomach gave her, her answer.

"That's like saying because I love the smell of petrol, you'd lure me out, douse me in it, and light me on fire," she said.

"You don't want to kill Barry," Iris pointed out.

"And Barry isn't a killer," Averey shot back. "Do you all not remember what happened to the Japanese after the atomic bombs were dropped?" She got silence in response. "Radiation poisoning is no joke. You're basically giving him treatment for a cancer he doesn't have…or is going to give him cancer."

"It's the only thing that will work," Cisco replied grimly.

"Or it's the only thing you've thought of."

"Do you have any other ideas?"

Averey froze. Her lips parted briefly as she thought. She had gotten plenty of x-rays over the years to know the procedure. "You have to hold those weight sheets when getting x-rayed, right? Maybe cover him with a sheet of that. Starve him of the radiation he needs."

"It'd take a while to find a sheet of lead that thick and durable enough for the likes of Atom Smasher," Professor Stein explained. "If you could even find that much lead."

"We're wasting time," Iris said exasperatedly.

"If this is the only thing we can do, then I'll just go and help however I can," Averey said, moving around the computers to the alcove housing her suit. She grabbed onto the empty Flash mannequin and pushed it around its track (noticing the change to the alcove), to bring her own suit to the front.

"You were like a rag doll the last time you faced Atom Smasher." He hurried to her side. "You can't go out there. Especially, if you're this close to being done with house arrest."

"I'm not leaving Barry to deal with Atom Smasher on his own."

"She's right," a deep voice said from behind Professor Stein, Iris, and Joe. Whirling around, everyone faced a tall brunet as he walked into the room. Joe retrieved his gun for a second time, pointing it at the man. "Barry needs all the help he can get. Not just now."

"Why did a six-foot model just walk through the door?" Cisco asked, staring at the dark-haired man. "Who is that?" Averey shrugged and he shifted his attention the man. "Who are you?"

"Jay Garrick," the man replied. "And your friend is right, Barry Allen needs as much help as he can get."

"How do you know about…?" Joe's voice trailed off when the man chuckled.

"I know about you all," Jay said, "and I know that you will not be able to keep this Earth safe if you continue to let Barry do this all on his own. If there are more meta-humans here from my world, you don't stand a chance."

"Excuse me," Professor Stein asked, "but what did you mean when you said, 'your world?'"

"A world just like this," Jay replied. " _Exactly_ like this, but with a few, uh, _changes._ You see, where I come from, _I'm_ the speedster."

"If you're a speedster, why don't you go and help Barry?" Iris asked.

"You think I haven't thought of that myself?" Jay asked, flatly. "Trust me, Iris West, I would if I could. I no longer have my speed. Otherwise, I'd be out there helping the Flash of your world. You see, this Al Rothstein, the one you all are sure was killed at the nuclear plant, he's from my world and he will stop at nothing until he defeats Barry Allen."

"How do you know her name?" Averey asked. She watched him closely, looking for any usual sign of untruthfulness. No shirt tugging, no eyes up to the left, no stumbling over words, nothing that would indicate a falsehood. Sliding her vision in closer, there were no eyebrow or eyelid twitches.

"I know who you all are," Jay replied. "But now's not the time to explain it. You need to help Barry." He nodded towards Averey. "She's the only one here who can."

"I'm on it." Retrieving her suit, Averey left the Cortex to find a place to change into it.

"It's just me," Iris said, sliding into the room that Averey had found after a quick knock on the door. "Thought you might need some help."

"Cheers," Averey said as she twisted her hair up into a bun. "By the way, your article was amazingly written. Congratulations."

"Thanks," Iris said as she prepared Averey's boots.

"And, I know you didn't write the article," Averey said as she removed her t-shirt and jeans to shimmy into the one-piece suit, "but since you work for the _Picture News,_ thanks for not being so harsh about me."

"Of course," Iris replied, moving behind Averey to help her pull the suit up her back. "Besides, Mr. Larkin is about publishing facts, not emotions." She patted Averey on the shoulder after she zipped up the suit. Averey turned around to face her. "You wouldn't have deserved it. Even if you think you do."

She handed Averey her veyesor and Averey curled her fingers around it. "Thanks, Iris." Iris smiled and gave her a double thumbs up as she put it on over her head. Tightening the ear pieces down over her ears, sound instantly cut out, and a light blue tint covered her vision. She missed that feeling; the feeling of power. "What do you think of this Jay guy? I couldn't see any signs of him lying or anything."

"Hard to say," Iris replied. "But, we can't deal with it now. Barry's our top priority." She turned and lead Averey out of the room. "You ready?"

Sliding her fingers into her gloves, Averey nodded as they stepped into the S.T.A.R. Labs elevator, taking it down to the lowest levels of the building. "Reckon as ready as I'll ever be."

"Cisco will give you coordinates as soon as you're out on the road," Iris said, crossing the room to open the bay doors of the hangar they entered.

Averey didn't answer as she came upon her vehicle, the Cisco Cycle. A sleek black and white low riding cycle. Barry had once described it looking like the Batmobile had crossed with Tron and Averey would have to agree with him. Walking closer to the vehicle, she pressed her hands on the domed car door and pressed on it. With a _hiss_ it popped open, swinging upwards to reveal a seat. Climbing inside, she waved to Iris and pulled the door down around her.

The interior of the vehicle glowed with a soft white light, illuminating all the buttons and knobs inside. With a _click,_ Averey lifted the bar of her veyesor off her face to rest on top of her head like a pair of headphones and she gazed out of the windows situated in front of her. The vehicle shook as she turned it on and gripped the steering wheel.

"Ready when you are," she said aloud.

"Start heading downtown," Cisco replied, his voice equally filling the vehicle, and sounding directly in her ears at the same time. A GPS map of the city, with a single pink pulsating dot indicating her whereabouts, flickered onto the windows in front of her. "You're heading to Rothstein's nuclear plant, this is just the fastest route. Get there as fast as you can."

Removing the brake, Averey stomped on the gas pedal and directed the Cisco Cycle up the ramp and onto the streets. Tires squealing around corners, she weaved in and out of traffic, speeding towards Barry's location. Upon arrival, she quickly entered the building, hiding high up in the rafters. Repeatedly zooming in and retracting her vision, she stepped through the shadows, searching for the two meta-humans.

She didn't have to look far as Barry's scream echoed through the room, shortly followed by a loud _crash_ as he was thrown into a metal railing. Unhooking the boomerangs on her hips, Averey jumped up onto the side, taking aim at the massive figure stalking towards the unmoving Flash. "Oi, Dumpling!" she shouted, her voice bouncing around the corners of the room. "Pick on somebody your own size!"

Throwing one of the boomerangs, she watched as it merely bounced off Atom Smasher's shoulder blade. As he turned his attention towards her, she leaped from the railing and grabbed onto a pole that stretched from floor to ceiling, spinning around it. Faster and faster she spun as she neared the bottom when she was propelled by a gust of air. Once her feet touched the floor, she spun once, and threw her second boomerang at Atom Smasher.

While distracted, Barry rushed forward throwing a melee of punches and kicks on his large body. Atom Smasher's skin rippled from each strike. Swinging his large club like arms, he tried to hit Barry who quickly dodged out of the way. Rushing forward, Averey shot ocular blasts at Atom Smasher. Each purple blast of light bounced off his body (leaving red, angry welts on his exposed skin), and helmet.

Barry skidded to a stop beside Averey, breathing heavily. "We have to get him into the chamber," he said, using the band of his gloved-hand to wipe at the blood on his lip.

"How?" Averey asked. "Thanks for the wind assist, by the way." Barry nodded his head. Atom Smasher lumbered towards them, shaking the ground with each step.

" _Try the super-sonic punch_ ," Cisco's voice cane through not only Averey's ear piece, but the sound system to the room. " _Without the extra radiation, his body won't hold his gigantic form for long_."

"Keep distracting him," Barry said, stretching his legs. "He'll start looking for radiation the longer he doesn't have it. We can't let him get it until we're ready to give it to him." He blasted away, the air behind him pulling at her hair and suit.

Gritting her teeth, Averey charged towards Atom Smasher, shooting ocular blasts at him as she did so. Throwing herself to the ground, she rolled away from his swinging hands as he tried to get past his large body to grab her. Ducking between his legs, she kicked at his large ankles, and punched at the back of his knees to try and knock him over. When that didn't work, she jumped onto his back, aiming for a pressure point at his neck.

"I don't have time for you," Atom Smasher growled, reaching over his shoulder for her. "I want the Flash." Averey gasped in pain at the tight grip on her wrist. Her world tumbled as she was pulled from his back and thrown to the floor.

"Doesn't everyone?" she managed to choke out in a tight voice. Atom Smasher leaned over her and she shot a blast of purple light into the eye slits of his helmet. The black space glowed purple for a moment before it disappeared.

Roaring, Atom Smasher stumbled back, grabbing at his helmet with his big hands. Helmet popping open, Atom Smasher curled his hands into fists and rubbed repeatedly at his eyes, stopping momentarily when a loud _boom_ split the air. A fraction of a second later, the doors to the building burst open with a gust of wind. A swatch of yellow lightning streaked through the dark room, colliding with the side of Atom Smasher's face. Atom Smasher hit the ground with a belly flop.

"FLASH!" he shouted, reaching for Barry. Barry deftly jumped away from him and continued to do so as Atom Smasher reached for him. Pushing himself to his feet, Atom Smasher charged after Barry, following him into the chamber at the end of the room. "You may be able to run, but you can't hide."

"Who's hiding?" Barry asked before he zipped out of the chamber.

"We've got him in, Cisco," Averey said, rolling on to her side, slowly pushing herself up onto her arms. "Do it now." She swallowed thickly and shook her head. _There's no other way, Ave._ "Do it. Bar-Barry's out."

A loud siren sounded and the door to the chamber slid shut. Atom Smasher pounded on the window. Lights flashed inside the machine before it was snuffed out as Atom Smasher, screaming in pain, pressed himself against the wall. The pounding grew weaker by the second, the shouts quickly turning into whimpers. And then it was silent.

"Is that it?" Averey asked quietly. Barry walked over to her, offering her his hand.

"I think so," he said. He hauled her to her feet. "Thanks. But you really shouldn't be here."

"Yeah, yeah." Averey waved his words away. "And you shouldn't have done this alone."

Barry's lips twitched, and he turned towards the silent chamber. " _You can go in,_ " Cisco announced. " _There's no more radiation. Seems like he was actually able to absorb it all._ "

"Are you sure?" Barry asked.

" _There's no other explanation. A machine like this, it would take a while for the radiation to clear out. Levels indicate this was done in seconds._ "

"Be careful, Barry," Averey said, grabbing his elbow. "I know Cisco said it's ok, but…"

"I know," Barry said quietly. He placed his hand over hers and together, the slowly stepped towards the chamber. As they neared it, the door slid upwards, revealing Al Rothstein lying on the floor, unmoving. She knew that she couldn't smell any lingering radiation but still Averey found herself taking in deep breaths through her nose, anticipating a sudden change of smells. They got to the edge of the door. "Stay here."

Barry stepped into the chamber, standing over the collapsed man on the floor. Peering into the space, Averey groaned. Al Rothstein's skin was covered in purple splotches, growths dotting his skin. Patches of his hair lay on the floor, leaving oddly shaped bald spots on his head. Lips cracked and bleeding, remnants of food stuck to his chest. His chest heaved as he gasped for air, eyes wide with terror.

"This isn't what I wanted," Barry said, kneeling by Rothstein's head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"So'm I."

"Too many people were already in danger."

"No. Not everyone. Just you." Rothstein's lips shook as he attempted a wry smile. "I didn't want this either." His face scrunched up in pain. His chuckle turned into a hacking cough. "Ow."

"Why did you want to kill me?"

"I just wanted to go home."

Barry's head shot up and he locked eyes with Averey. That was exactly what the Reverse-Flash had said when confronted. "Why—why can't you go home?" Barry asked, swallowing thickly.

"Zoom said—he said I couldn't," Rothstein swallowed thickly before breaking off into another round of hacking coughs. Rolling onto his side, he threw up harsh smelling bile. "Couldn't go home unless—unless I killed you."

"Zoom?" Averey repeated. "Who's Zoom?" Averey didn't get an answer as Barry let out a loud groan before dropping to the floor. "Barry?" She rushed to his side and shook him. His head flopped from side to side as she shook him. His eyelids fluttered, but didn't open. "Barry!"

* * *

 **Somewhere in Central City**

Smiling to himself, Jay stepped through the front door of his home. Today couldn't have gone any better. Sure, he wasn't supposed to be at this part of his plan just yet, but there was no better time than the present. Besides, for someone as fast as the Flash, and for the people he surrounded himself with being so quick minded, they were _so_ _slow._

So, he moved his plan up a bit. Nothing he couldn't handle.

They were all looking after Barry now, so he was able to leave unnoticed. The good news, by being there today, he got a small idea on how "Team Flash" worked with and interacted with each other. Soon he'd get a close look. This was all going to be so much easier than he thought.

Making his way into the kitchen, he stepped past Malcolm who was working his way through his second bag of Big Belly Burger. "I hope you've been studying up," he announced. "If you want everyone to believe you, you better have all of your facts straight."

"I'm ready," Malcolm replied, brushing Jay's hand off his shoulder. "Don't worry about that."

"Believe me, I'm not." He helped himself to one of the numerous untouched bags on the table.

"So, Rothstein didn't work out," Malcolm commented. Jay paused momentarily in lifting the carton of French fries from his bag before calmly doing so. Malcolm wasn't stupid enough to be rubbing it into his face. "Who are we going to use next?"

Jay popped a French fry into his mouth. "Give me some time to think."

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you all had a great holiday season and a safe and Happy New Year! One of my resolutions in 2018 is to, how I refer to it, as updating more regularly. Life will get in the way here and there (especially since my last update), but I'm going to do my best to achieve this. Thank you all for your patience.

-Rhuben

 **Review replies for the last chapter of Out of Focus:**

 _Ethan:_ You're on the right path with Cadence and Brady. Like I had said on twitter, they're a part in Barry's turn around, but nothing too too big. I always frustrated that they haven't put Iris's journalism to the fullest potential for her character, so I'm really going to showcase it here.

 _Gods-own:_ Thanks for continuing along with the story. I appreciate it.

 _Spinquin142:_ You're right with how Averey's parents treat her. They don't fully treat her like an adult and she's not the one to really argue about it, either, because it is easier. But that's one dynamic I'm excited to write in this story (and you can see that starting to be brought up in this chapter).

 _Babyj:_ Jay is one of my favorite characers; Teddy Sears played him well. While watching the season live, I was a bit frustrated with not learning so much more about him until close to the end of the season, so I'm showing more of him here. However, the scenes from his point of view won't be just attached as little blurbs to the end of the chapters. And, yes, I am writing Cobalt Blue!

 _Guest:_ Thank you for taking the time to check out these stories despite your reservations. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I do have a couple of ideas regarding Averey changing her last name and the circumstances around it. Thank you for your kind words.


	5. Coming Like a Hurricane

**Chapter Five:** Coming Like a Hurricane

* * *

Malcolm's boot-clad feet landed with a _thud_ on the dark, empty streets of Central City. His navy suit moved lithely along with him. Mask down over his face, he felt unstoppable. Breathing out through his nose, he looked around the darkened streets, muscles tensing when an eerie _wail of a siren_ broke through the darkness.

Not that it mattered. The streets were empty. Stores were closed. Barely any light illuminated the windows overlooking the streets. The city was smart insisting on a curfew. No one would be caught outside after hours. It was so still, Malcolm mused that If he didn't know any better, he'd think that the city was abandoned. It'd be the smart move, anyway.

Malcolm crossed the asphalt at a leisure pace, his boots squeaking and crunching with each step. The siren started up again: soft at first, until it grew in crescendo into a blare. The final notes bounced off each building, and slid down ever alley way, alerting the city of the person out after hours. The _metahuman_ out after hours. Stopping in the middle of the street, he pressed his hand over the circular center of his suit.

The palm of his hand directly beneath the circle burned. Each second passed with the growing intensity of the heat as it spread to his fingertips, up his arm, across his chest, and throughout his body. It would have burned any normal person, but he enjoyed it. There was nothing more exciting than fire.

 _Woosh._ With a swing of his flame covered arms, a long sword appeared in front of him. Flames licked up the curved, yet razor-edged blade. Turning it over in his hands, Malcolm closed his eyes, focusing all his energy to the blade. As the blade grew to be surrounded by flames, they disappeared from his body, elongating it's reach into the air. Shifting his weight, he turned on his heels, and faced a house that overlooked the street. So quaint. So quiet.

So misleading.

"Haa!" Malcolm lifted his sword up high over his head before swinging it down, striking the ground with a loud _crack._ The flames flew off the blade in a single blue glowing strike before it struck through the front of the house. The awning exploded upwards, it's support beams splitting underneath its weight before it crumbled in a heap. Dust, dirt, and broken shingles flew, mixing with the shards of broken glass that expelled from the demolished windows.

The demolished front of the home creaked, shifted, and shook as Malcolm stepped over the rubble. He whistled to himself an upbeat tune. It matched the speed of his racing heart, yet was a stark contrast to the stillness of the dark household. The living room lay in shambles, pictures smashed on the floor, the couch blown apart and cutting the stairs short. A single child's shoe lay underneath the shards for a broken vase. A plastic dinosaur melted into the grooves of the hardwood floor, resembling candle wax.

No signs of movement.

But, he hadn't caused all the destruction and ransacked appearance of the home. It was almost unfair; destroying homes was fun. It was something he greatly looked forward—

A noise stopped him. Not a hiss, but not an ambient noise, either. Just there, behind the creaking of the settling house, was a soft…baby cry. It was barely there before it was silenced. But he heard it. Tensing the muscles in his legs, Malcolm turned towards the stairs and burst forward, singing the walls around him with the flame emanating from his body.

Slowly making his way across the upper landing, Malcolm's whistling slowed to a more somber tune that resembled "Hush Little Baby". Wrenching open a wood slatted door, he was greeted with the site of a screaming little boy crouched on top of a washing machine, and a sobbing woman frantically throwing clothes overtop a straw basket. The pile of clothes moved with each kick and wave of the small arms of the baby underneath.

"Please, please!" The woman stopped what she was doing and spread her arms out, keeping her children behind her. "Don't hurt my babies. Please! I'm begging you! Don't hurt them! Take me instead!"

"You're not who I'm looking for," Malcolm replied. He leveled his gaze with the woman, switching his sword from his right hand to his left, and acted quickly. Amid screams and shrieks of terror, Malcolm grasped the boy around his neck, tightly clutching the material at the collar of his night shirt, and held him aloft. The covered baby started wailing.

"No! Not my baby! Take me! Take me!"

"Mommy!"

Tears and snot slid down the child's face. He was crying so hard he was coughing and choking. Still, Malcolm turned away from the closet and stalked through the house. "Come out now," he bellowed into the dark, "I'm giving you one chance!"

Darting his eyes from side to side, Malcolm watched and waited for any signs of movement. The little boy coughed harder, gulping in a lungful of air, lips shaking, body trembling. Releasing his grip, the boy dropped to the floor and scrambled away on his hands and knees, stopping when Malcolm shoved the tip of his flaming sword into the floor, igniting a wall of fire in front of him. With his foot, he kicked the boy onto his back and lowered himself into a crouch, pressing down onto the boy's stomach.

"This is all on your uncle," he said quietly, his words drowned out by the crackle and pop of the fire. Smoke hovered in the air, causing the boy's coughing spasms to increase. "I hope your family can forgive him." Straightening, he removed the sword from the floor, pointing its tip at the boy's throat. The boy stared back at Malcolm. reflecting the flames in his fear-filled eyes.

"STOP!" A darkened figure burst out of the room at the end of the hall, facing down the meta-human.

"And you thought you were so slick." Malcolm held his right hand out towards the flames, fingers out stretched. Slowly, he curled his fingers until his hand formed a fist, and the flames disappeared. Without facing the man standing at the end of the hall, he said in a commanding tone, "Edward Slick, Zoom would like to speak with you."

"Just let him go," Edward said, his eyes on the writhing boy. Malcolm pressed down harder on the child's stomach. "Let him go, and I'll do whatever it is you want." He held his hand out towards Malcolm, taking small steps towards him. "Please. Let my family go. You don't have to harm them."

" _You_ didn't have to cause them any harm," Malcolm shot back. The whimpering from the boy turned into another loud scream as the flames started singing the hem of his shirt and pants legs of his pajamas. Still, Malcolm pressed harder against his stomach. " _You_ tried to trick me. _You_ tried to make it look like your family wasn't here. That was all on _you._ " With the final word, Malcolm grabbed the boy in his hands and threw him against the wall, where his head connected with a sickening _crack._ "Let's go."

Gaping at his unmoving nephew, shoulders lifting and falling with each breath, he slowly stepped towards Malcolm. Removing his sword from the ground, he pressed the tip to the back of Eddie's arm, cutting a rip in the sleeve and back of his coat as he walked past. Once out on the streets, another siren went up, but Malcolm barely heard it over the roar of flames as it circled around him and Eddie as he transported them from the front steps of the Slick home.

Feet slamming into the ground of their next location, Eddie stumbled and fell to his knees. Snuffing the flames on his sword, it disappeared in a puff of twisting smoke. Malcolm grabbed Eddie's arm, pulling him up the stone stairs of the dilapidated building stretched out in front of them. Their footsteps echoed around the high ceilings with each step they took, mixing in with the rhythmic tapping sounds that floated towards them. Taking a left at the top of the stairs, Malcolm gripped Eddie's arm tighter, hauling him away from the sound of the tapping, squashing the question his lips were forming.

"Move it!"

"I thought you said—"

"Stop talking!"

Another left, right, right, one more left, and they came upon the door Malcolm was looking for. Throwing it open, Malcolm shoved Eddie inside where a roar of shouts swelled. "Help!", "Let us out!", "Help us! Please!" were distinctly heard only to fall silent the second Malcolm entered the room behind Eddie. Metahumans shuffled as far away from him as he could, their chained hands only taking them so far. They watched him closely, wondering what his next move was going to be.

"You said Zoom wanted to talk to me," Eddie said, rubbing his arms as he walked in a small circle. Malcolm didn't answer, as he crossed the room to an empty set of cuffs. "You said he wanted to talk!" Wrenching his hands together, Malcolm held them in a tight grip as he applied the handcuffs to him.

"He does." With that final word, Malcolm left the captured metahumans behind. Once the door closed behind him, he removed the mask from his head, sighing as he could get in a deep breath of air. His hair stuck up in different directions, and droplets of sweat flew in the air when he ran his gloved hand over it. His work was done.

"What took you so long?" Jay asked as soon as he walked into a large room that resembled a lounge.

Long benches were situated along the walls, broken up by chairs; the leather bounding the cushions cracked with age. The old, dusty carpet had large holes in places, revealing the hard-concrete underneath. TVs were mounted on the walls, dust rubbed away from the screens, finger marks left behind.

"I'm sorry, we all can't be speedsters like you," Malcolm replied, dropping on the bench across from Jay. It creaked under his weight.

Jay slowly nodded his head. Leaning back, he spread his arms over the top of the bench. "When are you going to get on that?"

"I'm working on it," Malcolm replied. "You'll get your speed, don't worry."

"I'm not," Jay insisted, speaking over the end of Malcolm's sentence. Clenching his jaw, Malcolm's eyebrows twitched upwards. "Just impatient."

 _Downside of being a speedster; everything else goes too slow._ "Whatever." Malcolm expelled a breath through his nose. "Just make sure you get the tracker in Eddie Slick before you put him to use."

"You don't need to remind me." Jay's lips parted in a sinister smile, teeth looking more pointed than they naturally were. "I've already notified the facility. After we get him back to the other Central City, we'll get the procedure done. Then, once Barry Allen awakens, we'll move forward with the plan."

"How long do you think that will take?" Malcolm asked. "For Barry to wake up?"

Jay was silent, a thoughtful look on his face. "However long it takes for his body to rest up," he replied. "Which shouldn't be as fast as usual, but not enough of a difference for him to take notice." He rubbed his chin for a moment before he shrugged. "We'll see."

"I thought you were impatient," Malcolm pointed out.

Jay blinked, and his eyes narrowed as he put his attention on Malcolm. "Some things can't be rushed," he replied. "If we want them to trust us, we need to take our time."

"We've just spent the past six months watching them."

"Still." Jay jerked his head to the side, swinging his hair out of his face before reaching back behind him for the cowl of his suit. The material stretched as he pulled it upwards and slowly over the front of his face, until it fully covered him. Malcolm stared into his deep black eyes, what little light in the room glittering in them. The feeling of tension and danger instantly filled the room. When Jay spoke next, his voice was a deep, gravelly tone, "Is he with the others?"

"Yes," Malcolm replied, reaching for the bunch of material behind his neck.

"Then they will all know that failure is not an option," Jay said, getting to his feet. "One of them will kill the Flash, and I will get his speed with or without help." Malcolm closed his eyes when Jay burst out of the room, blue lightning crackling behind him. He barely had any time to situate his own cowl over his face, when he returned, shoving Eddie Slick towards Malcolm.

As Jay threw his arm out to the side, Malcolm grabbed Eddie in as tight as he could – partly due to how badly Eddie was shaking, and partly due to the bumpy ride they were about to take. A swirling blue mass opened in front of them, white and blue lights mixing together to create an aquatic-like look to it. Jay jumped through it first, the gravitational pull of the mass pulling him forward. Malcolm was right behind him, with Eddie bouncing off his side. As they traveled, weight pushed in all around them, squeezing tighter and tighter until they emerged on the other side of the portal.

Taking in a deep breath of air, lungs expanding to their full potential, Malcolm reveled in the release of the pressure around them. Eddie slipped out of his grasp, dropping to his knees, taking in repeated deep breaths of air, one hand to his chest.

"What the hell…?" he wheezed through clenched teeth, "did you do?" Jay struck his foot into his side, knocking him over onto his back. "Stop. Please."

"All you have to do," Jay growled, hovering over Eddie. Strips of lightning shot off his body and into the night. Eddie shifted away from him. Malcolm lunged forward, stomping down on his hand. He twisted it back and forth for good measure and Eddie screamed into his fist. "To make this all go away, is to kill the Flash. You do that, and you will be reunited with your family once more." His eyes glittered the reflections of lights from the buildings they stood between. "And do it quickly. After all, I'm sure you're worried about the plight of your nephew."

Eddie swallowed thickly, his lips shaking. "Ok," he said, starting to nod repeatedly. "Ok, I'll do it."

Malcolm smiled behind the material of his mask. It wasn't really like there was any choice in the matter. This city didn't know what kind of storm was about to roll through: it was going to be downright thunderous. And, unlike the Thawne of this world, Malcolm was determined to make a lasting impression.

* * *

Jolting awake, as if he had been shocked, Barry looked around wildly before relaxing against the pillows he felt behind his head. As his fuzzy vision cleared, he recognized the medical bay of S.T.A.R. Labs and stared up at the ceiling, waiting for the heavy feeling in his body to leave him. He first moves his toes, twitching them one after the other, then he moved his legs, his arms, his fingertips, shoulders, and finally his head.

Letting himself relax into the soft padding on the bed, he closed his eyes only to smile when he recognized the soft music playing in the background. Lady Gaga. Then his body stiffened again. How long had he been out for? It wasn't another nine months since he was last awake, was it?

The music was then drowned out by the rapid beeping coming from somewhere by his head. Pushing himself up into a seated position, footsteps hurried in his direction. Caitlin rushed into the room, dark hair flying behind her. Joe, Cisco, and Professor Stein weren't far behind her, talking all at once.

"What day is it?" Barry asked. "What day is it?"

"Relax," Joe said, pulling a chair up beside him. He placed his hand on Barry's shoulder. "You had us all worried there."

"Joe," Barry said, grabbing his hand, " _what day is it_?"

"Friday," Joe replied. Barry tightly squeezed his hand and he quickly added, "Of 2015! Friday of 2015!" Barry let out a long sigh, running his hands over his face. "You've been out a little over a day; since Wednesday night."

Dropping his arms to his sides, Barry's thumbs grazed his thighs. Eyebrows angling towards each other, he tilted his chin downwards, taking in the swatch of red stretched over his chest. He lifted a heavy arm and dropped his hand over the emblem on his chest. Tracing the lightning bolt with his fingertips, he avoided everyone's gaze.

"No signs of concussion, no abnormal readings," Caitlin announced. Out of the corner of his eye, Barry could see her reading over a clipboard, flipping a few pages over as she examined his charts. "Your vitals have been normal since I arrived and even before that." She lowered his charts and started speaking with Cisco. "From what I can see, Barry's body has been reacting as if he's been extremely dehydrated, only he wasn't; he had plenty of fluids in his system when you brought him in. I'm glad you called. You and Professor Stein did well. He just needs to rest now." She then eyed Barry out of the corner of her eye. "Although, I don't think a urine sample would be too out of the question."

"You and your pee collection," Cisco said with a fleeting smile, shaking his head back and forth. Caitlin looked somewhere between shocked and irritated at his words.

She started counting off on her fingers. "Confusion; dizziness, unconsciousness, rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing," she said, speaking quickly, "all signs of severe dehydration."

"With all due respect, Dr. Snow," Professor Stein said, "Mr. Allen can, literally, can run 500 miles in a second." He clasped his hands together in front of him. "I understand you want to be careful, but would it really be out of the ordinary for his breathing and heartbeat to be faster than yours or mine?"

"I guess not," Caitlin agreed, still looking unconvinced. "Whenever he's back on his feet, make sure his blood pressure doesn't drop. And I'd still like for him to go on the treadmill to make sure his speed wasn't compromised or anything." She removed her white lab coat and set her clipboard aside. "I have to get back to work, but let me know if anything abnormal arises."

"You mean more than usual?" Cisco asked, and Caitlin cracked a smile. Joe laughed. "As for keeping Barry comfortable, I guess watching you do your thang all the time, I picked up a few things." Caitlin's smile widened. "Thanks for coming all the same."

"Of course," Caitlin replied. She gave Barry a soft smile before she stepped towards him to him a hug. "It's good to see you. I'm glad you're ok."

"You too," Barry replied, returning her hug. "You didn't have to come all the way down here for me."

Pulling away from his embrace, Caitlin tucked her hair back behind her ears. "Of course, I did," she replied. "Barry, what happened?"

"I don't know," Barry replied. "I felt fine. I feel fine."

Atom Smasher was defeated, he had just gotten some information on who was behind the attack in the first place, and suddenly he felt way more drained than he had ever felt before. Even since his first bout with hypoglycemia due to his enhanced metabolism, he had never felt so exhausted. It was like his body was just zapped of every ounce of energy. For moment before he collapsed, he even got the chance to remember what his body felt like before he had gained his abilities.

Then everything went black.

"Atom Smasher was chasing me all over the city," he explained, "I just kept running. If Averey hadn't stepped in…" No, that wasn't right. She wouldn't have known where he was if it wasn't for any of them. For the past few months, he had done everything by himself, insisting that he didn't need any help. And they still had his back. Wasn't that the same thing he was doing, and had done for years, with his own father?

Everyone had turned their backs on him, yet he still supported him no matter what. Over the past few months, it hadn't been just him. It was Joe, and Iris, and Cisco, and Caitlin, and anyone else who knew about the Reverse-Flash and the truth about metahumans. As much as he still felt like it, he wasn't alone anymore. He had the support he always dreamt of and they would stick by him no matter how hard he tried to push them away.

"If you _all_ hadn't stepped in, I don't know what would've happened."

"I told you, son," Joe said, putting his hand on Barry's head, mussing his hair, "it's ok to ask for help. You know we'll help you any way we can. That's what family does."

An image of Eddie and Ronnie barreled into Barry's mind. Only this time, he didn't try pushing it away. Ronnie, he didn't know that long, and Eddie, he always had a weird friendship with, but they were a part of S.T.A.R. Labs in the end. Part of Team Flash in whatever experiences they could bring to the team. Being part of a team meant you made sacrifices, and Eddie and Ronnie made the ultimate one to keep everyone safe.

"Thank you," he said, "all of you. I mean it. For everything."

"No need to thank us, man," Cisco said with a smile of relief. He stepped closer to the bed, gently patting his feet. "We're just happy that you're going to be ok."

"Yes, the most important thing is that you rest, Mr. Allen," Professor Stein added. "Rest your body, rest your mind. Seems to me you're long overdue."

Barry chuckled quietly. "No kidding," he replied, feeling his eyelids grow heavy. Sleep sounded great now. Atom Smasher was defeated, and there were no other signs of metahumans in the city. "Someone let Iris know I'm ok. Ave, too."

"Of course," Joe said, leaning forward to kiss the top of his head. "Don't worry about a thing, just get some sleep."

"I already let them know you're up," Cisco said. "I said I'd give them an update once I found out more."

"Make sure you let Iris know she doesn't need to come down here," Joe said to Cisco. "I don't want her skipping work when all Barry needs is to sleep." Cisco nodded. "If you need anything, I'll be right here."

Barry felt himself give a tired smile as his eyes closed. It wasn't too long ago (at least it felt like the past 15 years hadn't passed that quickly), that he had promised the same thing when he first arrived to live at the West House. And again, when he found that he couldn't sleep through thunderstorms. And again, when he realized just how homesick he felt when he was dropped off at university – it was kind of pathetic: Joe had barely gotten down the main road when Barry anxiously called. And again, for whatever problem he had ever faced since then.

"Get well soon, Barry."

"Sleep tight."

"We're glad you're ok, Mr. Allen."

Barry lifted his hand in a small wave before dropping it back down onto his leg, feeling himself falling back to sleep. In contrast to his initial bought of sleeping, his twitching arms and legs, made it hard to keep himself in a relaxed state. His mind did not aid in his wish to regain his strength. Who was Zoom? How were there two Al Rothstein's? Where was Atom Smasher's home?

Atom Smasher's dying form crashed into his mind. His coughs and gasps for air echoed around him. Then, Atom Smasher changed, and lying on the floor was Harrison Wells. Standing, he removed his glasses. He smiled. At first, he looked normal, but as the seconds passed, the smile took a sinister turn. Harrison's gaze became more piercing until they suddenly started glowing red. His lips parted, and a whisper of Eobard Thawne's voice slithered out, "Take me home, Barry." The red glow in his eyes enveloped the darkness around the two of them. A hand lifted, then an arm, the Reverse-Flash yellow suit stretched over his skin. "Take me home." His hand vibrated, and he lunged towards Barry.

For a second time, Barry shot up off the bed…and kept going. A trail of lightning disappeared behind him as he threw out his hands and stopped himself from careening into the filing cabinet in front of him. The loud metal crashes awoke Joe, who was instantly on his feet, reaching for his gun holster.

"What is it?" Joe asked. "What's going on?" Barry turned around to face him. As his chest heaved, he shook out his arms and legs. The chair creaked as he settled back into a seated position. Head shaking, Joe put his face in his hands, and peered up at Barry over his fingertips. "You're seriously going to speed me into an early grave, Barry."

"I thought you said you couldn't sleep unless Iris and I were safe and sound," Barry said with a tired smile.

"I wasn't sleeping," Joe defended himself, "just resting my eyes." Barry's laugh instantly faded when he saw the serious expression on Joe's face. "Besides, you may be 'safe', but you're nowhere near 'sound'." Joe leaned forward and patted the mattress Barry just vacated. "You've been twitching all over the place. I've never seen you like that, before."

"I had a bad dream," Barry admitted meandering back to the bed. He climbed back upon it, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Do you think I did the right thing? Killing Atom Smasher?"

"Ohhh." Joe sat back in his seat. "There's no one good answer for that. It depends on the circumstances." He clasped his hands together. "Don't forget, Blackout has passed away, too. And Tony Woodward didn't make it, either."

"Yeah," Barry agreed. "But, I never meant for that to happen to them. He was trying to steal my abilities, and his body just couldn't take it." Crossing his legs, he leaned forward, pressing his elbows to his knees. "Tony tried to stop him, but steel conducts electricity and…"

"So why are you blaming yourself?" Joe asked. "You didn't do those things. You never set out to harm them."

"But, I knew what was going to happen with Atom Smasher," Barry replied. "I knew what could happen if I got him into that chamber. Joe, I knew there was no way he was going to come out alive."

"You may have been the one to pull the trigger," Joe said, "but we loaded the gun." Barry hummed. "What's on your mind?"

"Last time I saw Oliver," he said, "he told me not to become him."

"I've told you that, too," Joe pointed out. "Numerous times."

"I know, I know," Barry replied. "And I didn't understand what you meant. The only thing I could see was that Oliver, the Arrow, he did whatever he could to get things done. So, I did, and he was right: you have to be in such a dark place to be able to do that. When I was running, I just kept thinking 'I have to stop him', 'I have to stop him'. It didn't matter how I did it, I just had to." He stretched out his legs before pulling one to his chest, placing his chin on his knee. "When he was dying, that was when I felt guilty. Only then."

"Barry, you're not turning into Oliver," Joe said. "You're nowhere near like him."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Barry replied. "Why would it be so bad to be like Oliver? To be like the Arrow?"

"Do you really think you could, with good conscience, be able to accept the fact that someone lost their life?" Joe asked. "It's simply just not who you are. And you know that. Everything you've experienced in your life, your love of science, your forensics work, it all comes together to create the Flash. Oliver went through a different experience, so he handles threats to Starling City differently. That's ok."

"How many more people are going to die because of who I am and what I can do?" Barry asked.

"Unfortunately, I can't answer that," Joe said, his shoulders dropping. "And I don't want to answer it. I can only tell you that we're going to be here for you. All of us, no matter what." He shoved Barry's knee. "OK? You may be lapping us in this race, but we're still running behind you."

Barry smirked. "Trying to catch up, you mean," he replied.

"Hey, this old man can still keep up with the best of them," Joe said before joining Barry in laughter. "I still break records on those fitness tests the CCPD makes us do. And I don't have the speedster ability to back me up." He snapped his fingers together. "By the way, there was a guy here, Jay Garrick. He says he was a speedster, too."

Barry stiffened. "Wait, what?" he asked. "When was he here?"

"When you were fighting Atom Smasher," Joe replied. Barry listened intently as Joe explained everything that he had missed. A supposed speedster just so happened to know everything about them? Who they were? Who _he_ was? What he could do? "He kept saying everything was like 'his world'."

"What does that mean?" Barry asked. Joe shrugged. "Do you know where to find him?"

"He left sometime when we were all making sure you were ok," Joe said. "He hasn't been back since then, but I wouldn't be surprised if just showed up here." Barry swung his legs over the side of the bed, getting to his feet. "I know it's hard for you, Barry, but I need you to slow down. You heard what Caitlin said, she wants you to go on the treadmill for some tests. Make sure you're back at 100% and then some. Cisco is in his office, I can go get him right now."

Knowing he wouldn't be able to change Joe's mind, he took the S.T.A.R. Labs clothing Joe handed him. "I also brought you a change of clothes." Barry smiled his thanks as he quickly changed out of his suit and into the t-shirt and sweatpants. He loved wearing his Flash suit, but it also felt good to wear something less constricting at times. And now that he was wearing it, he couldn't wait to start running – and he didn't. Rushing out of the room, he jumped onto the treadmill and took off.

Passing 100, 200, 300 miles per hour was no sweat. He watched the numbers on the treadmill display climb higher and higher, and he smiled to himself. His feet landed right where he knew they would, faster, and faster. His mind went blank, and he felt like he was floating. It felt good to get the pent-up electricity out of his body in one release of energy. Lightning crackled in his ears, extending behind him. He was back in action.

"All right, Barry, that should do it," Cisco's voice crackled over the sound system of the room. "We can send this data over to Caitlin, but it all looks good." Arms and legs flying, Barry turned his head and watched as Joe gave him a thumbs up as Cisco turned to address him.

As Barry slowed, he suddenly pitched forward, grabbing on to the front of the treadmill as he did so. An odd flickering spread through his body as he slowed. Just as suddenly, his speed kicked back in. Tightening his grip on the front of the treadmill, his feet flew up behind him. Each step landed heavily on the tread of the machine, the sound bouncing off the walls of the room until he came to a stop.

"Phew." Hands on hips, Barry stepped off the treadmill and into the control room, peering back at it over his shoulder. "What was that?"

"Probably just hungry," Joe said, clapping Barry on the shoulder. "You haven't eaten for days now." Barry frowned, but didn't say anything. He remembered seeing an IV sticking out of the back of his hand at one point. "Get washed up and we can meet Iris at home for my famous chili." He pointed at Cisco. "You want in? Plenty for everyone."

"I would." Cisco's fingers flew over the keyboard in front of him. "But, I need to get these stats sent to Caitlin, and then I need to get that suit washed." He lifted an eyebrow. "I know you love our suit, Barry, but you have to give it back at some point." Joe laughed. "And there's some extra touches I want to add to it."

"Like what?" Barry asked.

"You'll see. I'm taking some stuff home with me, anyway. I still need to get the B.O.O.T. up and running." He lifted his fist and Barry bumped it. "Good to have you back, man."

"Good to be back," Barry replied. Zipping out of the room, Barry grabbed the spare change of clothes that Joe had brought, and rushed to the showers. Once clean, he gathered his belongings, big Cisco goodnight, and headed out of S.T.A.R. Labs for the first time in days. "What did you tell Captain Singh about my absence?"

"Not much," Joe replied. "I just said you needed some personal time. He was happy to give you the time off, thinking you've been throwing yourself too much into your work lately."

"He wasn't wrong," Barry said. "I apologize, Joe. I know I've been a jerk."

Joe looped his arm around Barry's shoulders and used his hand to muss his hair. "Barry Allen a jerk?" he asked. "I don't know the meaning of the words." He then pushed Barry aside who quickly side stepped an outdoor trash can. "But, let me tell you, you were thiiiis close to grinding on my last nerve." He held his forefinger and thumb close together.

"As if Iris and I didn't spend years rubbing it down." Joe snorted as Barry's laughter subsided. "Hey, Joe?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you trust this Jay guy?"

"No," Joe replied instantly. The corners of his lips turned downwards and he shook his head. "There's not much to go off of. I've run a check at the station, but I didn't find anything on him. All we can do is wait for him to come back around and get some answers."

Barry let out a short, high-pitched laugh. "Knowing our luck," he said as they came up to Joe's sleek black car, "he'll come back around sooner than we think."

* * *

"OUCH!" Averey hopped up and down on one foot, her hands wrapped tight around her foot. "Stupid, freaking, _thing_ …" Teeth clenched, she hobbled around the armrest of the porch bench as the front door closed behind her.

Only a few hours out of the ankle monitor, and the second she had it back on, she forgot how to move with it. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so clumsy. Now she needed to re-learn not to take corners too sharp. Averey bounced when she flopped face down on her bed. Curling in on herself, she attempted to massage the bruise she was sure was going to form.

"It's your final twelve days," Audra had said that morning as she strapped the new monitor on Averey's ankle. The smile that had last been on her face was replaced with her usual tight-lipped expression. So much for that. "You haven't been late for work, you've kept on top of your schedules, and you've stayed in the earned leave time frame. Unfortunately, this is the time where people slip up most. And I _don't_ –" She emphasized her word with the click of the monitor band, "want you to be one of those people."

Audra wagged her finger in Averey's face and it took Averey tightly gripping the arm rests of her chair to stop her from slapping it away. How many more times was she going to hear it? She got it enough at home: Her mom would remind her every morning before she stepped out of the house to go to work. Her dad would mention it after the end of a long work day. She was reminded over dinner, when she was bidding her parents good night, and when she crossed off the days on the calendar before going to sleep.

When it all came down to it, she knew her good fortune would run out eventually. Avoiding lengthy imprisonment wasn't something the law would allow her to do. She had another chance, more chances than anyone else could have, and she knew it. She didn't need everyone else reminding her that one small slip up would throw her back behind bars longer than the three months and a day she had previously served. Even then, the second her house arrest was up, she still had to work through the final months of her probation.

If she was being honest with herself, that wasn't the real driving force behind her most recent spike of annoyance. It was a mixture of things. Partly, it was because she couldn't get Gavin Turner off her mind since she had set foot back in S.T.A.R. Labs. It was her decision to keep him in the Pipeline and (in some ways) under her thumb, but at the same time, he got off easy. The first chance she got, she was determined to change that.

And the other part, the bigger part, was her masked anxiousness (i.e. fear). Eddie had always been there when she came out the other side of whatever lawful issue she had. Now he was gone, and she had barely spoken with anyone on Team Flash for the past few months.

Her mom and dad were great support but, the fact of the matter was that they didn't know all sides of her life. During her months at home she had weighed the options of telling them that she was a metahuman. Either way, they were in danger just by being around her. If anyone wanted to bring her to her knees, they just had to go straight for her family – as she had experienced with the Royal Flush Gang's threats against her dad and Barry over the past year.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Averey said to her ringing phone as she settled on the bench. A high-pitched peal broke through the evening chirps of the birds. Spider-web cracks on her screen gently scratched her thumb as she answered the call. She was greeted with half of Cisco's tired face, and half of the wall behind him. "Hey."

"Just wanted to let you know," Cisco said, leaning back into frame, a screwdriver tucked under his chin. Settling back in his seat, he wiped his fingers on a dirty rag. "Caitlin doubled checked Barry's vitals. Nothing out of the ordinary apart from his blood sugar levels."

Averey sighed in relief. "That's good," she said. "Thanks for letting me know." Cisco had sent a mass text to her, Iris, Caitlin, and Professor Stein with a picture attached for Barry on the treadmill at S.T.A.R. Labs. A blur of red and yellow was the only thing on screen, but it was a recognizable blur.

"Sure. No problem."

Silence. Averey kicked her legs back and forth. Cisco removed the screwdriver from under his chin and started tinkering with something off screen.

"How's Caitlin doing? At Mercury Labs?"

Cisco's chest lifted as he slowly sucked in a breath of air through his nose. "She's doing well. I'm just grateful she helped us figure everything out." The camera suddenly shifted downwards, shaking, and capturing the bottom of his chin and the ceiling. "Sorry." His hands covered the camera before he corrected it. "I never asked since you split from S.T.A.R. Labs so quickly. But, how are you doing? From what I could see through the security cameras, Atom Smasher really…smashed."

"No kidding," Averey said with a snort. The cold shower she had taken at S.T.A.R. Labs and the ice packs she pressed to her body upon returning home were evident of that. "I just had bruising. I'm ok. I got home in time without mum and dad worrying, so…"

"Mmmm."

Averey pressed her lips together when another round of loud hammering sounded. It was disheartening to know that they could have gone from people who could talk about anything to barely getting words out around each other. Not that she had expected a heartfelt reunion or anything. She had broken up with him seemingly out of nowhere after all.

"Um, so, I'll let you go, I guess."

Cisco talked over her. "When you were here you said you didn't know if you were welcomed at S.T.A.R. Labs."

"Yeah, mate, you usually welcome me back every time I go," Averey replied. "It was like our thing." Half of her face twitched. "Which we don't have any more."

"I respect that you wanted to end things," Cisco said. He growled when the camera slipped again. "But I don't understand why you weren't honest with me about how you were feeling in the first place. We've talked about Dante owing a bookie and your past arrests and everything." Averey twisted her mouth to the side. "I tried so hard to support you. To make it feel normal."

"It wasn't normal, Cisco. That was the problem."

"Nothing we've ever done since the particle accelerator accident has been normal, but we've gotten through it." Cisco leaned back in his chair, his jaw clenched. "The only one who had an issue was it was you. I kept telling you that I didn't care."

"And that was the problem; that you didn't have an issue with it." Cisco gave her a confused look. "You were always so happy and positive and upbeat."

"And that was a problem?"

" _Yes_!"

" _Why_?"

"Because it sucked!" She grit her teeth when the camera slipped for a third time.

" _Come on._ " He grabbed his phone in his hand, pulling it closer to his face. "Stupid thing won't sit up. I'm trying to fix this stupid B.O.O.T." He used a hand to brush his hair out of his face. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"It just sucked. I know you felt it, too but you would never say it." Averey pushed the fingertips of her free hand to her temple. "I could only take the positivity for so long. I was going absolutely mental."

"That's just it, Ave," Cisco said. "You've grown to be so hard on yourself. You screwed up a few times. So, what?" His nostrils flared as he pushed a breath of air out of his nose. "You keep going forward. Because of S.T.A.R. Labs, I've basically been blacklisted in the science world. I know that. But, I still do what I love to do every day despite what people think of me. Because I don't care what they think."

 _Bullshit._ The word was on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't allow it to leave her mouth. She could see in his body language and tone of voice that he cared about what his family thought about his work. At the same time, she saw that he just wanted them to acknowledge him as a person. Not necessarily for the work he did.

"That's just it, _I do_. I try not to, but I do care. I've always cared; ever since I was little." She got out of her seat and started walking tight circles on the porch. "I could see it on your face, you weren't always happy about having to stay in for dates, or had to schedule visits around Barry, or Caitlin, or Iris because I could only have two people around. And it sucked that you didn't tell me that."

"Sure, it was hard," Cisco agreed. "Maybe it wasn't ideal, but, we went out a few times when you had your earned leave approved in enough time. It just took some finagling. Do I wish it was easier? Yeah. But, it wasn't going to help if I just complained about it."

"And that made me feel worse." The bench creaked as she sat back down. She tapped her fingernail on the arm rest. "I wanted you to, _just once_ , tell me that it was hard. That it sucked that we couldn't go anywhere, that you were disappointed. Something!"

"I apologize." Cisco said. "But that goes both ways."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how can you trust me to tell you what I'm feeling, when you don't do the same for me? Whether that's just us alone or with everyone at S.T.A.R. Labs?" Cisco wet his lips with a quick flick of his tongue. His jaw stuck outward. "Ever since we first met you, you didn't trust us to know everything that's going on with you until we had no choice but to confront it. You don't tell us anything unless you think it's something we need to know. And even then, it's not always the full story."

"I told you, I was just—"

"You were protecting Barry, and your family. I get that. I really do." Cisco sighed through his nose. "But by it affecting Barry, it affected us, too."

"That's true." There was no point in denying it. She had explained things on a somewhat need to know basis with everyone, justifying it on the thought that she could handle it all on her own. It was the same thing that Dr. Wells had done. No wonder Cisco was mad. That was two people he had trusted that held up a ruse the whole time. "I'm sorry."

"Besides, if we're being honest, going out is so overrated." Cisco gave an exaggerated eye roll and started counting off on his fingers. "You can watch movies without getting dressed up, you can be sure the house has your favorite drinks because you buy them yourself, and you can get pizza without going anywhere. Bonus, you can do it all and avoid people all at the same time." His smile of laughter faded and the frustration in his tone inched back in. "If you just wanted to focus on seeing out your house arrest and probation, you could have just said that. I would have understood."

"Yeah." Averey's cheeks puffed up before she let out the breath of air she momentarily held.

"Just be honest with me, Ave. That's all I ask." He cleared his throat. "I better get back to work. Captain Singh has really been breathing down my neck about the B.O.O.T. since Atom Smasher got away."

"Go on. Cheers, Cisco."

"Later."

The screen went blank and she dropped her phone onto the bench only to quickly grab it and check to make sure no other cracks had formed. Once satisfied (with her phone secure in her pocket), Averey tilted her head back and closed her eyes. _It's a start, Ave. A slow start, but a start._

Her eyes snapped open when footsteps nearing the house. Gazing into the night, movement caught her eye. Averey jumped to her feet, nearing the edge of the porch. Leaning forward, she squinted, trying to make out the shape, but the shadows creeping up the lawn weren't helping. She took a step down the

"Oh – crap!" Her foot sank down through the step, throwing her off balance. A gasp slipped past Averey's lips as the cold surrounded her leg. Grabbing her knee, she tried to pull her leg out of the shadows, but felt it being pulled back down with the same force. Gripping the handrail of the porch, she threw her body over it and pulled her leg upward as hard as she could.

"Bloody hell." Her foot became free and she practically threw herself over the railing, but caught herself at the last minute. Whirling around, she gazed down at the steps. Crouching down, she carefully placed her hand on the cool wood, finding it solid. "What?"

Getting to her feet, she peered out across the darkness. No movement. Not even a leaf blew on the trees. Slowly, Averey walked backwards, keeping her head on a swivel until she pressed the doorknob pressing into her back. She reached behind her and grabbed the door knob and stumbled inside.

"All right?" Ellie asked, using her elbow to turn off the water in the sink. "You look a little spooked. How was your talk with Cisco?"

"I thought I saw something in the dark, that's all," Averey replied. She lowered herself into the seat at the table rejoining their Scrabble game. She quickly glanced over the board taking note of the words that had been added in her absence. "And it was good, I guess." She rearranged the tiles in front of her. "We aired out some feelings."

"Good on you," Daniel said, using the end of his pencil to scratch the tip of his nose. "I know that can't be easy." He kissed the side of her head.

"Ah, ah!" Averey put her hand in the air, pushing his face away. "Cheat! Don't even think about it, DK. I know what you're doing. You're trying to look at my tiles."

"He already got a peek when you went outside," Ellie announced with a laugh as she joined them at the table. She quickly looked over her tiles and played a word.

"You weren't supposed to tell her!" Daniel said in mock annoyance before he kissed her on the cheek. "You up for watching a movie, Aviator? We've still got a couple of documentaries on Netflix we haven't watched yet."

"I saw there was one about people who worked on the Hydrogen Collider before it was turned on," Ellie suggested. "It's supposed to be really good." She gave a sympathetic smile. "Then you and Cisco would have something to talk about whenever you see him next."

Averey laughed through her nose. "Yeah, cheers." Swinging her legs over the bench, she got to her feet and followed her parents into the living room. As she settled into the couch, she tapped her phone against her chin. and she realized, with a start, that she had opened her gallery app.

A picture of red and yellow balloons with the Flash's signature lightning stamped on it in opposite colors, filled the screen. The next picture was a squished panoramic of the stage, to the crowd, and to the wall of news vans. Sliding her thumb over the cracked screen (making a face when it hung for a few seconds), she scrolled through her pictures, pausing briefly to zoom in on each one.

Nearing the end of her camera roll, she stopped. Her heart started pounding in her chest. Pinching outwards, she zoomed in on the picture and gazed upon the face of the man who had made himself known a couple days before.

Jay Garrick was at the Flash Day rally.

* * *

 **A/N:** Whoo, first update of 2018! I hope you all had a safe and happy new year. So now you've got an idea of what kind of person Malcolm is. I'm so excited to get this story moving. Now that we've got Sand Demon in the fray and Jay Garrick meeting the team, we'll really start getting into the thick of it – especially with Malcolm. The team is almost back together and you see both Barry and Averey have a bit of an issue going on with their abilities.

On another note, new Flash episodes start airing tomorrow. I've been so excited to see "The Trial of the Flash" since it's been teased at the finale of season one.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Confused and need further explanation on anything? Leave a comment.

-Rhuben

.

 **Review replies**

 _Ethan:_ Yes, Averey is a history buff. I had brought up that she had a degree in history in the last chapter, but it's shown more in this story and how it helps her as part of Team Flash. In regards to how Averey acts when she's around her parents, I'm glad you picked up on that. Yes, she is more childish around them and that's a plot point you'll see as we move further along.

 _gods-own:_ Thanks for sticking around. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

 _babyj:_ I can see why you're thinking that way; especially if given the reason why she'd be on house arrest would be as she had been considered a flight risk in the past. With Averey following every rule for her house arrest, Audra is cutting her some slack while the investigation into why the monitor malfunctioned as early as it did is going on. If there's the possibility of Averey tampering with the monitor, there is the risk she'd do it again with a new one.

 _spinquin412:_ I'm glad there are certain aspects of my stories that keep you interested, and I'm also excited to see what the readers think regarding what I have planned for Malcolm. I didn't initially have Cobalt Blue planned, but like you, the more I learned about him from the comics (plus constantly seeing it mentioned as what fans want to see happen in the Flash, the more I liked the idea of the character.


	6. Have I Got News For You

**Chapter Six:** Have I Got News For You

* * *

On Friday, Iris had had two days to be mad. Angry. Livid.

If her mind hadn't been preoccupied, she would have felt the hot coffee splashing on her hand as she all but slammed it down on the table. With a handful of napkins, she dabbed the back of her hand, hitting herself harder and harder. Once done, she tossed the wadded-up napkin onto the table. Her (self-)assigned seat in the Central City Picture News office creaked as she dropped into it. After she straightened her computer, phone, and notepad, she tapped her pen against the lined paper.

She wasn't allowed to go to S.T.A.R. Labs? She could only stay at home and wait for word that Barry woke up? How could anyone, let alone her dad, ever say those words to her? "Barry's ok. Don't come to S.T.A.R. Labs. See you at home." That's how her dad had tried to ease her fears. But words couldn't do that. Every time she looked at the text, anger burned in her chest, and yet she couldn't bring herself to delete it either. They had come so far in a year in a half since that fateful night. Was she wrong to think that meant she would be included in big things like this?

The whole time she waited for Barry to come out the other side, she had done her best to try and keep her mind off him. It was exactly what she had done when he was in his coma. And it was how she got her employment at C.C. Jitters in the first place. Her university grades had taken a hit with how much time she had spent at S.T.A.R. Labs during the initial weeks of his coma. Late night cram sessions had become a normal occurrence. She would claim a back section of Jitters (which she still sought out whenever she was in the shop), scatter her books, order the first of many coffees and work as late as Jitters was open.

Everyone who knew about Barry would ask her questions about him and wonder of any updates. Except for Tracy. She would ask about her schooling, what she wanted to do with her life, and treat her normally. Not just as the girl who knew Iris was best friends with the man who was struck by lightning. Overtime, she spent more time there, became addicted to their cronuts, and before she knew it, she had a job to make the long days pass by quickly.

Now that she knew exactly what Barry was going on at S.T.A.R. Labs, being left out made her feel foolish all over again. How could she not have known that her best friend had gained such amazing abilities? Why didn't she keep asking him why he had been acting so strangely? And why, now, was she letting it happen all over again?

"Iris West?"

Iris looked up from the swatch of yellow she was staring at and gave Mr. Larkin a smile. Nodding, she allowed him to acknowledge her presence in the room as he continued to take roll call. As each name beside her was called, she down whatever coffee she had left. Blinking, she felt herself more awake and positioned herself in her seat ready to start the day. The coffee didn't have the same taste as Jitters', but the caffeine started waking her up all the same.

"Welcome to another morning," Mr. Larkin said with a bright smile, starting off the meeting like he did every day. "We've got a news-filled day ahead of us." He pulled out his seat and sat down, folding his hands in front of him. "We'll start this meeting with any pitches any of you may have, and updates to ongoing stories."

Iris tuned out. She scribbled notes and drawings on the lined paper in front of her. Getting a job at Central City Picture News without a degree was a huge feat even if she was hired for her blog. She had worries about turning her hobby into a job but was proud of her work. Even if, in all the time she had been employed, she mainly stuck to writing stories about metahumans, namely the Flash. Because of her connection with the Flash, she was the only one who really knew about the underground happenings in the city, and the first to believe in him.

"We have to get ahead of the news," Mr. Larkin had repeated at her interview. "No one else is talking about these unexplained happenings except for you. I think it'd make a great addition to the paper. You're a natural journalist; presenting the information in a clear and concise manner, without backing down from what you believe in, and without any bias. That's the kind of person I want on my staff."

How could she be expected to do her job when no one wanted her around S.T.A.R. Labs to learn more? It was already hard enough to discuss such matters on her blog or in the paper without giving away their operation. The city already resented S.T.A.R. Labs enough, she didn't need to add more fuel to the fire by explaining metahumans were a result of the accident, too.

"In the upcoming week, the Miners have their season opening basketball game," Linda Park spoke up, bringing Iris from her thoughts. Iris placed a hand to her stomach as it tightened. "I have been in contact with both business staff and event staff regarding the special event to commemorate the six months since the destruction downtown."

Iris's stomach lurched. Somehow, she always knew when Eddie was going to be mentioned. If not him, then the singularity. A couple weeks after everything had settled, she hadn't. Her stomach was a constant knotted twist. One minute she would feel sick, and the next she was fine. The anxiety calmed down over time, but now she could feel a few people in the room looking at her.

When the first layout memorializing the victims of the paper were being passed around, with Eddie's picture was smack dab in front of her, she had been in the building working on her own news story (at her insistence, she couldn't just sit around all day doing nothing). Iris had sent Caitlin a text warning her about it, so it wouldn't take her by surprise. Caitlin never answered.

"Initial interviews have been recorded, I just need to edit it down," Linda explained, "and give a write-up about the game. Unless I can have more hole?" Ages ago, all the news terms would have made Iris confused. She didn't take her journalism course long enough to know beforehand that "hole" meant how much space was left after the advertisements were placed in the newspaper. "Whatever space I get, I can, of course, edit it all down."

"Let me look over the space already taken up by ads once we're done here," Mr. Larkin said as he shuffled through the stack of papers in front of him. "I must have left the mock up in my office. Keep me updated."

"Of course."

"Keeping in local news, are there any updates for store re-openings?"

"Building has been moving along quicker than expected." Iris smiled to herself. If it wasn't for Barry, reconstruction downtown would have taken a lot longer. "The projected date of completion for the businesses I've been covering – the tattoo shop, and the smaller banks – have been moved up."

"I've been speaking with the regional manager at Jitters," Iris spoke up, "and they have been saying the same thing." She repeatedly clicked her pen with her thumb. "They've been hinting towards a big opening event, a new drink, a revamped look, all of that. I can speak with my former boss for a more concrete answer. And I know the company working on construction there, I can see if I can get in to get pictures."

"Good, good," Mr. Larkin nodded his head. "Any more word from the Flash regarding the events of Flash Day? Some people have been calling in stating that there had been late night activity at the nuclear plant."

 _Not unless he's taken up sleepwalking._ Iris set her jaw, letting out a sigh through her nose. "I have managed to confirm that the signal seen in the sky was in connection with the Flash." She tried to keep her face neutral. It was easier to present information this way, and it wasn't exactly lying. "I just need to confirm that the threat from Flash Day has been taken care of. If there is connection with the plant, I'll do my best to find it."

Satisfied with the answer, Mr. Larkin moved on to cover the other sections of the newspaper. He passed out assignments, and everyone scattered, some to the break room, some to their desks, and others out the door to cover their stories. Iris made a beeline for her computer, logging with forceful strokes of her computer keyboard, and brought up her own files of partially written articles.

"You ok?" Linda asked, walking up to Iris's desk, sitting on the corner. "Just checking in. You seemed agitated." Iris only noticed the napkin-wrapped doughnut Linda held in her hand, when she set it down. "You didn't even grab a cronut. Thought I'd snag one for you."

"Thanks." Iris ripped off a piece, popping it into her mouth. "I'm ok. Just frustrated with my dad." She smiled. "It'll blow over."

"I also wanted to make sure you were ok after you heard about the Miners game," Linda added, giving a fleeting smile. "I haven't asked since you came back to work. So…are you ok?"

Iris placed a bigger chunk of doughnut into her mouth and chewed slowly, taking her time to think. In the past six months, it had gotten a little easier each day. But, she wouldn't necessarily say she was doing well. There were days she could laugh and smile, and days where all she wanted to do was curl up in bed and cry. Eddie was a hero that day, and she knew he had always been selfless, but she couldn't help but wish he chose to be with her instead of sacrificing himself.

"I'm better," she replied after she swallowed. "There are just some days…" She shrugged. "Thank you for asking. I know we haven't talked in a while."

"No, I understand," Linda said with a nod. "People get busy. You have things going on in your life." She was silent for a moment. "I'm in awe of you, you know."

Iris blinked in surprise. "Why?" she asked.

"Not a lot of people can do what you've done," Linda replied. "You've taken what happened with grace. You know your limits; when you want to take on a story or not. Not a lot of people can do that." Iris slowly nodded. Having her dad support her made it easier. With all the tragedies he had seen while on the job, he knew how it help. Not just her, but Barry, too. It was weird that they could live in the same house, and go through something so hard, but be in two different places. Only recently had she realized that they haven't been as close dating as far back as, maybe, Barry's coma. It made her heart hurt. "And I'm making it worse. Ok. I'm sorry. I've got some work to do, so I'll just leave you alone."

"We should do lunch sometime," Iris said, snapping out of her thoughts. She reached for her phone, opening her calendar app on her phone. Quickly glancing through the many vents listed in her calendar, she made a face. "On second thought, seeing as how busy I'm going to be, let's hit up a bar. I could use it."

"I'm game if you are," Linda replied. "Larkin's really been pushing hard to get stories out lately." Her eyebrow lifted. "I've heard rumblings around the office that he's really been trying to get more information about the new metahuman institute they're trying to create."

"It's breaking news," Iris said. "Can you really blame him? Mayor Bellows was really tight lipped about it when we went to talk to him after Flash Day." She settled back in her seat. "We were lucky to get anything from him. I can guarantee you though, this will put him in a good position to be re-elected in the next couple years."

"What is your take on this institute?" Linda asked. "Do you really think Central City needs something like that?"

"I think as long as we have the Flash we'll be ok." Iris brushed her hair out of her face. "This may be more of a business play if I'm being honest. Mayor Bellows knew exactly how to answer our questions. And he even said it himself that the institute and this classification system could take time to be completed."

"Yeah, and how are they going to determine which metahuman is stronger than the other?" Linda asked. "What are the categories being made to put even give them classifications?"

"Exactly." Iris tucked her hands in her lap. "It's nice to know that people are really starting to understand that there is something happening in Central City. But, it's not always a bad thing if Flash Day is anything to go by. If we can get as much information out to everybody as we can, people won't have to be so afraid of what metas can do."

"I'm just warning you now, Mr. Larkin isn't going to let this drop any time soon," Linda said, getting to her feet. She smoothed down the back of her dress with her hand and tucked her notepad under her arm. "You think you've seen him chase a story. You have no idea."

"I'm up for the challenge," Iris said with a confident smile. "Thanks for checking in on me, Linda. I appreciate it."

"And I'll be checking in again to make sure that bar trip stays on," Linda replied. "I need it just as badly as you do." The two girls shared a laugh, and Linda waved goodbye before crossing the floor to her desk.

Iris cracked her knuckles and got back to work. Comparing her notes, re-working sentences, and making phone calls, time flew by faster than she thought it would when she arrived. Journalism was a growing passion but there were times, like everyone else, where she just didn't feel like going in to work.

"So, the next time you may see the Flash signal shining high in the sky," she said to herself as she typed out the words on the document in front of her, "do not try and find the source. Do not trespass or put yourself in harm's way just to find out what the Flash is up to. The Flash does not wish to see anyone get hurt. There is no word at this time if the Flash will make a future appearance outside protecting this city to accept the key to the city."

With a slap of the ENTER key, Iris sat back and read over her work. Once satisfied, she attached the article to Mr. Larkin and crossed items off her to-do list. Checking the time, she grabbed her purse, logged out of her computer, and ran through a list of places in her head to get something to eat for lunch, only to stop short when she nearly walked right into Caitlin.

"Sorry," Iris said, a hand over her heart. "I didn't see you."

"I didn't want to interrupt you," Caitlin said with a hint of a smile. "I should have said something." She pulled the sides of the pea coat she was wearing closer together, securing it with its belt. "I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch with me. I'm meeting a friend, but she doesn't mind."

"Oh." Iris blinked in surprise. She and Caitlin hadn't ever spent so much time together outside of S.T.A.R. Labs. After Barry had befriended her and Cisco, they would be invited on outings, but it never had been a one-on-one occasion. "That sounds great, Caitlin. Are you sure it's ok? You said you were meeting a friend."

"Trust me, she'll understand," Caitlin said, using her head to motion towards the door. Iris fell into step beside her. "I just stopped by S.T.A.R. Labs to see how Barry was doing and thought to come see how you were holding up. I can only imagine how worried you were."

"Barry got home and immediately acted like everything was ok," Iris said. She shook her head back and forth. "He didn't want to talk about it. He kept insisting that he was ok. I knew he was, but still…" she side-stepped a couple as a shop door opened, leading them onto the street. "I understand why he doesn't want to talk about it. Since the singularity, he doesn't want to burden anyone else with his guilt and what he's been fearing, but I didn't know if he was going to come out the other end."

A cool fall breeze blew, and Iris crossed her arms over her chest. Bowing her head against the chill air, she shoved her hands into her armpits. "Each day that passed, I didn't know when he was going to wake up, or at all." A lump formed in her throat and she tried to push it down with repeated swallows. "I could only wait for word that he was ok, but dad didn't want me to go to S.T.A.R. Labs."

"You know they both care about you, Iris," Caitlin said. "They probably just wanted to protect you. Seeing Barry like that might have brought back bad memories."

"It did," Iris said quietly. "But back then, when we first took Barry to S.T.A.R. Labs, I could see him whenever I wanted." She tucked her hair behind her ears. "Maybe I'm being selfish."

"You're not. Even if you were, there's nothing wrong with that," Caitlin reassured her.

"I'm just so angry. All this time they had kept information from me, and now they're doing it all over again."

"You and Barry go way back. You've been through so much more than what anyone else would experience in their life, together. I can understand how frustrating that is. Just know that it wasn't easy for him to keep his secret from you. He's always kept your best interests at heart."

"I know. But we were all affected by what happened with the Reverse-Flash." She sighed through her nose and decided to change the subject. "Do you miss it? Working at S.T.A.R. Labs?"

Caitlin hesitated before she answered. "Mercury Labs is the right move for me," she said. "Career advancement, working with technology I've only dreamed of gaining access to…" A gust of wind blew, and the girls closed their eyes as their hair blew all around their faces. "I miss the people for sure. Barry and Cisco never made the work boring. It's just different environments." She suddenly cut in front of Iris, making a sharp turn around the corner. "Sorry, we're going over here."

"No problem." The two girls were silent for the rest of the short walk. Iris followed Caitlin through a bistro towards the back where she came up to a table that Clarissa Stein was seated, nursing a mug of steaming coffee.

"Hi." Clarissa got to her feet and greeted Caitlin and Iris with a hug. "It's so nice to see you."

"I'm glad you were able to meet up with me today," Caitlin said, lowering herself into a chair. Iris sat down beside her. "How have you been doing?"

"Oh, just wonderful," Clarissa replied. She turned towards Iris. "I'm glad you were able to join us. Caitlin had said she was going to invite you to join us." She used her hand to motion between herself and Caitlin as Caitlin lifted the menu in front of her. "We get together for lunch every now and then just to spend some time with each other."

"I'm glad I could make it," Iris said with a tentative smile. "This is a nice change."

"Iris, I know after the…" The knot in Iris's stomach returned. Clarissa trailed off, turning towards Caitlin, "What did you call it?"

"The singularity."

"Oh, yes, of course. The singularity." She reached across the table and covered Iris's hands with her own. "I know after the singularity, things have not have been easy for you. There may be times where you woke up and felt great, and days where you just feel miserable." She squeezed Iris's hands. "It's normal. It's ok."

"You're not alone, Iris," Caitlin said. "Unfortunately, the three of us are the only ones that will ever truly understand what each other is going through." Iris felt her shoulders drop. Of course. First Professor Stein and Ronnie had been presumed dead. Then they returned. Then they lost Ronnie a second time. And Eddie had been lost, too. Caitlin for sure knew what it was like to lose a fiancé. No one else knew that Iris and Eddie were engaged right before his death. "Fortunately, you have someone that truly understands what you're going through."

"Do you think…?" Iris nodded slowly as the words sunk in, "with everything that's happened, there's a chance Eddie could come back, too?" She got her answer when Caitlin and Clarissa exchanged glances. Eddie's case was different, deep down in her heart, she knew that. Still, she had to ask.

"I think, that you need to take things as slowly as you need," Clarissa finally explained. "You just need to be patient with others, most importantly yourself, and to know that it is important to _remember and honor Eddie, but not at the expense of living your own life."_

"Whenever you need someone to talk to, we're here," Caitlin added. "Not just us. We all are. You know Cisco will be the first to get you out of the house for a good time. And you have your dad, and Barry at home with you. And you have Averey, too. We all can help you remember Eddie."

"Thank you," Iris said. "Thank you." The knot in her stomach start to loosen, but she could feel an empty place start to form. One she was sure the food at the bistro (that looked good judging by the menu she started looking through), couldn't fill.

Barry had always been her primary confidant. The thought of him not being that for her anymore was just as scary as the night she had gotten word that Barry was in a coma.

* * *

"Do you really have to do that right now?"

Cisco looked up from the (perpetually) junky kitchen table as Dante shuffled slowly into the living room. His hair stuck up in all directions, his pajamas wrinkled. The material outlined his knee brace. It was a rare sight for someone who always tried to make a great first impression.

"Do you really have to sleep in this late?" Cisco asked. "Long night of classes?"

"You have no idea," Dante replied. "You? I'd ask if you got any sleep but considering all the banging and thumping that kept me up, I have my answer." Cisco didn't answer, just made a face as he mockingly repeated brother's words to himself as Dante slowly lowered himself to a seated position on the couch. He grabbed the remote, switched on the TV, and surfed the channels. "I got an A- on that paper you helped me with."

"Wait." Cisco stopped what he was doing a second time. "What?"

"I told mom and dad. They were happy."

"Good for you," Cisco replied. He turned the B.O.O.T towards him and started pushing the projectile cuff into its place. His arm muscles tensed when the resistance instantly kicked in. "I didn't help much, though. You wrote it."

"Still." Settling on a program, Dante dropped the remote on the arm rest. "I never would have thought about writing for multiple charities."

"You never think out of the box," Cisco said in a tight voice. "You're such…a…square!" There was a shift, and Cisco quickly moved his hand out of the way when the cuff shot out of its holster where it collided with a stack of board games, knocking them to the floor. Planting his hands on his hips, he pressed his lips together. "Great."

Dante looked over, craning his neck to see. Otherwise, he didn't move. "You're still working on that thing?" he asked. "I thought you were done with it."

"You saw how it worked at the rally," Cisco said, walking over to the fallen mess. "Or didn't work as it turned out. I still need to fix it, I've just been busy. It just needs some finessing." Brushing his hair back behind her ears, he started picking up the game pieces that went sliding everywhere. "You really saved my butt on the design idea, though. Once I get it down I can make more pretty quickly for the Meta Task Force."

"You're welcome, I guess," Dante replied. "Does this have anything to do with the Flash suit in your closet?"

Cisco got on his knees and squinted his eyes at his brother. It wasn't like there was a lot of places he could hide the suit. Dante knowing about Barry's identity, certainly made things easier. "Why were you in my room at all?" he asked. "Barry's fine by the way. I'm just adding to the suit."

"I was looking for you to ask why you were making so much noise," Dante replied. He nodded in response to Cisco's statement about Barry. "I don't think it's such a great idea to leave it hanging out."

 _Not much different than how it is in S.T.A.R. Labs._ Cisco bit back his remark. Instead, he blew a breath of air out of his mouth. "I'll be sure to remember that," he said in a tight voice. "And stay out of my room."

"No problem."

Getting to his feet, Cisco tried to will his shoulders to relax. "I'm not trying to be mean," he said sincerely. "With everything that's suddenly coming back up around here, I just don't want to see you in danger. Or anything. Again." Dante lifted his eyebrows, looking just as surprised as Cisco felt. He cleared his throat before going back to work. Dante put his attention back on the TV.

For a while, neither of them said anything to each other. He could see where his mom's thought process was of having the two of them live together, wanting to keep Dante out of trouble, but Cisco was bringing trouble to him, in a way. If it wasn't for his connection with Barry, Dante wouldn't have been abducted and used as a negotiation tactic—or rather a threat—against him. Maybe the longer they lived together the less awkward to think of each other first.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Do you have to?"

Cisco waited until Dante muted the TV before he started talking. "When we were at the rally," Cisco said, "you were wondering if I had talked to Averey in a while." Dante didn't say anything. "What made you ask about her and not Caitlin? I hadn't talked to her in a while, either."

Dante's face twitched. "You still talk to Caitlin on social media," he replied. "You tweet her jokes you think are funny – which they're not, by the way. And you still tag her in pictures online." Lifting his pants leg, Dante did quick work on his brace and removed it. It hit the floor with a soft thud. "Everyone knows…" He made a face as he started slowly pulling his knee towards his chest, and stretched it out again, "everyone knows that when you break up with someone, you stop interacting with them online."

Cisco stared at his brother for a moment before he let out a startled laugh. Snart had mentioned to him once how he was always putting things on his social media. Was he really that transparent?

"You actually took the time to stalk me online." Cisco put a hand over his heart, looking touched.

"Just checking on you, mijo," Dante said, with a shrug. The corners of his lips turned downwards, and Cisco smiled. It must be so hard for him to say those words. And he loved watching. "The stress of school must be getting to me, because I don't know what I was thinking."

"Aww. I didn't know you cared." Cisco quickly lifted his hands and blocked the pillow that was thrown at him. "Hey! Watch the hair." Dante rolled his eyes and Cisco took that time to throw the pillow back.

"Watch the knee."

Cisco reached for his phone and checked the time. "You've got your peace and quiet," he said, gathering his belongings. "I've got to get to work. I don't think I'll be back late if you want to order something or…" He paused, squinted his eyes, and pursed his lips. "Unless you want to come?"

"With you?" Dante asked.

"Yeah."

"To S.T.A.R. Labs."

"Uh-huh. I have to stop at Big Belly Burger first, but yeah." Dante gave him an odd look. "I know, I know, I eat it a lot. But, it's fast, tastes good, and makes me happy. Plus, I need to get some extra for the meta in the Pipeline."

"I thought they all escaped."

"All but one." Cisco did a quick mental check that he had everything he needed. He stepped through the living room and made his way towards his own room. He talked louder and gathered the Flash suit. "And it's still my job to feed him."

"Wouldn't I just get in the way?" Dante's voice called after him.

Cisco snorted as he meticulously folded and stored the Flash suit in a garment bag. "Oh, you for sure would," he answered, stepping back out into the living room. Dante's upper lip curled, and he made a face which Cisco returned with one of his own. "If you're just going to be hanging out here…why not?"

Dante looked like he was considering it. His gaze shifted towards the garment bag in Cisco's hand. He shook his head. "Think I'll pass," he said, turning back towards the TV. "Need to do exercises for my knee, anyway. Walking around campus the other day, it started swelling again."

"Do you…need any help?"

"I'm good," Dante replied. He lifted his hand in the air, batting away Cisco's offer. "Armando's been altering routines when I give him progress updates."

"Ok." Cisco grabbed his keys and hoisted the garment bag up high and used his free arm to pull a backpack on his back. "If I'm not out too late, I could get pizza, or some beer, or something."

"You need to step up to some fine wines sooner or later, Francisco," Dante said, shaking his head back and forth.

"Yeah, yeah," Cisco said as he headed out of the front door. "Say that to me again after a day in my shoes. See you later."

"Mmhmm."

Once at S.T.A.R. Labs, feeding the only inhabitant of the Pipeline, finagling the Flash suit over Barry's mannequin, Cisco stepped back and gazed upon it with a sigh. Spinning in a circle, he looked around the Cortex, and crossed his arms over his chest and started to smile. Barry was back working with him and S.T.A.R. Labs after a long hiatus. It wasn't exactly the Team Flash he had before, but it was getting there.

Reaching for his phone, his smile widened as he pointed his camera towards himself for a picture – after checking that he had great lighting and was shooting at the perfect angle. Why he went to that much trouble for a picture he knew he couldn't post on social media, he questioned at times, but no one said he couldn't be proud of his work. He attached the image to a text and sent it off before lowering himself into his chair, logging in. Pulling a carton of Big Belly Burger fries into his lap, Cisco twisted his chair left and right and took in the empty chairs beside him.

It was still weird to have the place so quiet. Caitlin would always be typing rapid fire on her keyboard and make comments about greasy fingers deteriorating the coating on them. He would always answer that it was why he ate over his lap.

Dr. Wells would discuss the dirt and germs that for sure be spreading around the environment due to the feet he propped up on the table. Even now, Cisco's legs twitched as if he was contemplating removing them from the table. Sure, the guy turned out to be a psychopath from the future, but still he had an air that commanded respect.

The computer screen flashed, and Cisco dropped his feet to the ground, careful not to jostle his carton of French fries. Bringing open his e-mail, the security feed of S.T.A.R. Labs, the lighting systems (the good thing about being the only one working at S.T.A.R. Labs was there was no set time to open), and more for his daily operating routine. Licking salt from his fingers, Cisco wiped them on his jeans, and leaned towards the computer as he started going through the recorded security video from overnight.

Satisfied that there weren't any trespassers around the property (and he checked every camera angle available), he took his time with the rest of his routine. Setting his hand down onto the table top, he shuddered as a cold rush started at the top of his head and slid down to his toes, freezing him to the spot.

S.T.A.R. Labs disappeared in front of him. All the lights, not just in the room, but in the universe, were sucked away. A grayish, black hue was left. The coldness disappeared to be replaced by the warming of his skin. It was uncomfortable. He tugged at the collar of his shirt. His movements felt slow. Way too slow. Looking around, he tried to spot anything familiar in the room. Whatever room he was in. It for sure wasn't S.T.A.R. Labs.

Cisco jumped when a crashing sound, and the sound of planks of wood hit the ground. His feet started following the noise and he found himself rounding a corner to an open room. The smell of murky water and fish reached his nose and Cisco groaned, pinching his nostrils. His voice sounded distant and echoed slowly to his ear. Followed by shuffling a moment later. Looking around, Cisco caught sight of a red gloved hand poking out from a dented tarp covered in wood chunks, nets, and fishing poles.

"Ow." Barry pushed the pile of materials off him. Sitting up, he made a face and spat. A dribble of saliva, blood, and a brown material slid down his mouth. With his hands, he grabbed onto his cowl and pulled it back off his head in one swift movement. Sand went flying in all directions. Cisco hurried over to him, feeling like he was walking through water. Upon reaching Barry, he made a face and slammed his eyes shut when the sand Barry brushed from his hair, hit him in the face. "I hate sand."

"No arguments here," Cisco said, brushing it from his own clothes.

Barry didn't react. He didn't even look at Cisco. With no words directed towards him, Barry lifted himself out of the boat and removed his gloves and boots, shaking sand out of them.

"Where did all of this sand come from?" Cisco frowned when Barry didn't answer. "Barry?" Barry wiggled his bare toes to clear the sand from between them before he attempted the same with his finger. Cisco stepped closer to his friend. "Barr."

Speeding through it, Barry put his gloves and boots back on and pulled his cowl up over his head. With his wrist, he cleared the spit mixture on his chin with his forearm and expelled a large breath of air. His gaze swept over Cisco as he looked around the room, his boots crunching on the sand-Cisco grit his teeth against the noise. The more Barry moved, the louder the crunching got. Each crunch slid into the other, extending the sound into one whine.

 _Bzzzz._

Cisco took in a deep, shuddering breath of air. Colors exploded in front of his eyes. Frantically swallowing, he jolted in his chair, knocking his carton of French fries onto the floor. Looking around, he realized he was back in S.T.A.R. Labs. His skin no longer felt warm, but cold and damp with sweat. Head pounding, he hunched over his desk, massaging his temples.

 _I thought it stopped. I thought it stopped. Why didn't it stop?_ Cisco slowly breathed in and out of his mouth. Closed his eyes. Pushed hard on the ground with the balls of his feet. Anything to stop his head from pounding.

 _Bzzzz._

And that vibrating was not helping. Not only was the sound magnified from his phone sitting flush against the table, but the vibrations went directly to his skull, making the pounding even worse. Blindly, Cisco patted around the table until his fingers brushed his phone.

"Hello?" he answered as soon as the phone was pressed to his ear.

"Hey, it's me." Cisco's eyes snapped open at Caitlin's voice. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"Cisco." There was that suspicious tone in her phone. She had always been able to discern what was wrong with him just by hearing his voice. "Are you sick? Do you have a cold?" She lowered her voice, yet it came in louder into Cisco's ear, as if she was pressing her phone to her mouth. "I was just going to tell you I like the change to Barry's suit."

The chair creaked as Cisco leaned against the back rest. He used his feet to spin the chair to face the Flash suit where it sat boldly in its alcove. The crimson red of the suit and the bright yellow of its lightning bolt stood out against the newly white emblem Cisco had fixated to it.

"No, I'm not sick," Cisco replied. "I just have a headache. Do you have any medicine for that, by the way?" He crossed the Cortex to the medical bay and started shifting through drawers to find anything to help. "Or do you have anything for inflammation?"

"I know you want me back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco, but you don't have to find excuses for me to come over."

Cisco stopped what he was doing and closed his eyes. "I seriously just have a headache, Cait," he replied.

"The last time you said that to me, you nearly gave yourself a concussion because you and Barry thought it was a good idea to use that treadmill to see who could do better tricks as you launched yourself into a stack of boxes!"

Chest muscles forced to tighten, Cisco stopped himself from dissolving into giggles. "The inflammation isn't for me, anyway," he reassured her. "It's for Dante. He did a lot of walking on campus the other day and his knee is acting up."

"As long as he's following RICE he should be fine." Cisco could picture the frown on Caitlin's face. "If he needs anything stronger, there is some there…" She listed off the names and Cisco pressed the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he looked for it.

"Do you need to write a prescription for it?" Cisco asked with a short laugh. He found a container of pills and twisted off the cap, popping one in his mouth to dry swallow.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Caitlin asked. "Has that Jay Garrick guy come back?"

Cisco smiled to himself when he heard the anxiousness in her voice. He had stopped trying to…gently sway her in the direction for coming back to S.T.A.R. Labs. Maybe she was changing her mind on her own? She had started returning calls and texts more since arriving to help make sure Barry was ok.

"No, no sign of Jay. And I've checked all of the security footage closely." Cisco sat down on the edge of the table, pushing his hair back off his forehead. "I know how he got in, though. He slipped in behind Averey after she guessed the keycode. He was waiting for a good time to make his entrance." Teeth clenched, he pressed his fingertips into his head. "I haven't seen him around the area since then. But you know how easy it is for people to slip in around here."

"The next time he shows up, let me know. I can run tests on him, make sure he's who he says he is. We don't know if this is another Wells incident."

"Yeah." Cisco nodded once and quickly decided it wasn't the best idea. "I know what you mean." He swallowed thickly. "I don't want to distract you any more from work. I'll let you go."

Caitlin was silent for a moment. "Just keep me updated. And stay safe."

"You too. Thanks for calling."

"Of course. Thanks for keeping me in the loop."

"Always."

Cisco ended the call and lowered his phone from his ear, sighing when he started to feel his headache ease. His shoulders dropped in relief as the seconds ticked past and the pounding decreased. His attention turned to his phone as it vibrated in his hand. Only his screen didn't indicate an incoming call, text, or app notification. His phone shook violently in his hand and dropped to the floor as the vibration pulsed stronger.

"What the…?"

The vibration didn't stop. His fingertips, his fingers, the palm of his hand, it all felt like it all tingled – softly at first, and then growing in intensity – despite his hand staying still. His headache was gone, but the intense tingling feeling didn't stop.

His heart pounded in his chest. He had felt something like this before, but not to this extent. That was quick, almost a passing thought. This didn't stop. Not for a full minute. All Cisco could do was stare at his hand, and wonder what was happening to him.

* * *

"And I ended the tour describing the changes to the lobby, and Tracey wondered why I never went into real estate." Averey stuck her hands between a rack of shirts and pushed it aside, looking over her choices. "She got promoted from shift manager to store manager, too. And then she asked if I would be able to work by the time Jitters opened again."

"That sounds promising. What do you think of this one?" Averey turned away from the rounded rack of clothes to face her mom who was holding up a hanger holding a white lacey blouse. Her upper lip curled. "No?"

"It's too fancy," Averey replied with a shake of her head. "Especially for me."

"At least you're not sticking with just graphic tees," Daniel commented. He sat on a bench with a stack of button down shirts, a couple pants, and ties sitting next to him.

"I'm 26, reckon it's time I start dressing my age," Averey said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Don't get too excited, mum, just because she's asking me questions doesn't mean she'll offer me the position. If she needs someone reliable for all shifts…Anyway, I rang this girl Kendra, she applied the same time I did, and told her that Tracey may call her."

"Tracey asked me a couple questions too," Daniel said. "Not just me, but some of the other workers. It could be good news." He gave Averey a thumbs down to the thick striped white and pea green sweater she was holding. "The black and white jumper looks better. Especially with those leggings."

"You have a good eye for this." Ellie said with a smile. "You should add interior decorating to your business." Daniel scoffed. "And you thought you wouldn't be able to help,"

"You don't wear a room."

"No, you work it." Ellie snapped her fingers to accent her statement and then checked her watch. "It's almost half past. We have about an hour and a half left of earned leave."

"I'll head to check out," Daniel said gathering his clothes. He tucked one stack under his arm, holding out his other to get more. As the stack grew taller, he carefully cradled it against his chest and the side of his head. Carefully, he maneuvered through the clothing racks to reach the front of the clothing store. "You decide what you want to eat. Just as long as we make it home quick as."

"Sushi is closest," Averey replied. She lifted her hand and tilted her thumb to the right. "It's at…" Burying her face into the clothing rack, she pretended to look at some shirts as her eyes started shifting back and forth, up and down, and diagonally. Projecting the image of the mall directory she had scoured upon their arrival, she quickly pinpointed the small icon indicating the sushi stall. She straightened, blinked three times to clear her vision, and pointed her thumb to the left as she faced her mom. "This end of the shopping center."

Averey looped her arm through Ellie's and rest her head on her shoulder (adjusting the sunglasses that sat atop her head, as they made their way to the front of the stores. Ellie used her free hand to brush some hair out of Averey's face, before she kissed the top of her head. "Not much longer," she said quietly. "I'm proud of you, Ava." Averey's lips twitched upwards, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. Daniel reached them, shuffling with an overabundance of bags. Together, the three of them made carried the bags over to the small sitting area in front of the stall. They barely had any room under the table for their feet.

"What's up?" Daniel asked, tapping Averey's hands with the menu in his. "You've been pretty quiet all day."

"Just looking," Averey replied, momentarily putting her people-watching on pause.

"What?" Ellie started twisting around in her seat. "Do people recognize you? Are they staring?"

"No, and I wouldn't care if they did," Averey replied. "Relax, mum. Seriously." Ellie frowned, but settled in her seat. Daniel's eyebrows lifted as he waited for her to answer his question. She thought about lying to him and quickly decided against it. Lying was a huge part of how she got into this mess. If she wanted things to turn around, she knew she had to stick with the truth. After all, for the most part, he had been nothing but honest with her throughout his time in her life. "Have you ever seen people you think is there when they're not?" How many tall blonde people had walked by had she practically broken her neck just to get a good look at them?

"Oh, yeah." Daniel nodded his head and Averey lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "Happened all the time after my nan died."

"I don't remember her."

"You never met her. She passed away before I met you or Ellie."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. But, yeah, I saw her everywhere I went for a while. Someone could have the same hairstyle as her and I'd find myself watching them. I'd wait for them to acknowledge who I was. Or I'd hear her voice. Or smell her perfume. Or I would just see _her._ Out of the corner of my eye. In a group of people." Daniel shrugged. "That's normal. You're not going crazy or anything. Well, crazier then you are now."

"Ha, ha." Averey stuck her tongue out at him. "You're a bloody riot." She rotated the napkin and started drawing a border on its edges. "A lot of people look like Eddie."

"Oh." Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Averey squinted at Daniel when the glare of the sunlight from the overhead windows bounced off the screen. She sucked in a breath of air when her eyes started to burn and tear up. She used her arms, feigning a yawn, to wipe the tears from her eyes, waiting for the pain to subside. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I don't know much else to tell you apart from it will take time, but it'll get easier."

"Yeah." Was she getting lightheaded? "Just pick whatever you want to nibble on. We still have to wait for it to be made, and I'm so hungry, my head's pounding." She clenched her teeth. "Anything we don't finish in time, we can just take with us, yeah?"

"Right," Daniel said, getting to his feet. "No problem." Ellie followed him.

Averey flopped face down onto the table. Eyes squeezed shut, she grabbed her sunglasses out of her hair and shoved them over her face. Only when she felt the presence of someone standing over her did she settled back in her chair. Glancing sideways over at her parents (who were at the sushi counter, pouring over a menu), Averey tilted her chin upwards in a short nod.

"So, you're back," she said, "obviously."

"What's got you so aggro?" Melanie asked, her features twisting into confusion.

"Seeing your face."

"I'm just here to get something to eat."

"You came all the way to Central City to do that?" Averey scoffed. "Does Gotham not have great sushi or something?" Melanie pursed her lips. "Seems like you are always showing up wherever I am."

"You're crazy," Melanie said with an eye roll of her own.

"Yeah. _That's_ why I was at Belle Reve." Averey tilted her head downwards, peering at Melanie over the rims. "Because I'm crazy. Because it actually runs like a mental hospital." Melanie's lips twitched a fraction of a second. Otherwise, her face was blank, no eye movements or fidgeting. "How's things with you and that guy back in Gotham? What was his name? Terry?"

Melanie's black lips parted, one side of her mouth pulling upwards. "On and off," she replied. "Off at the moment."

"Choice or circumstantial?" Averey asked.

"Little of both." Lifting her hand, Melanie lay her palm flat in the air and tilted it back and forth. "Nothing happening while I'm here." Her eyebrows lowered. "Why do you even care?"

"You're the one that stopped by my table." Averey started balancing on the back two legs of her chair. "Looking like you wanted to have a chin-wag." Melanie opened her mouth and Averey shook her head. "Save your breath, Mel. Unless it's a shoot the breeze kind of convo, I don't want to hear anything you have to say."

Melanie sighed as if she was dealing with a little kid. Her icy blue eyes, enhanced by the dark eyeliner smudged around them, flickered as she did so. "So, you've said," she commented, unperturbed. "Besides, I just came for the food. Seriously." She kicked at a bag under the table. "Looks like you've been handling things well."

"Always do."

"Easier when you've got a dad who can cover everything for you, right?"

"He's not—"

"He's not your dad or he's not rich?" Melanie asked with a scoff. "You live in Windsor Heights. It puts the 'gem' in Gem City. And the man's helped raise you since you were four."

Averey's eyebrows lifted. "You were there the other night." She said it as more of a statement than a question. "Why?"

"Look, I don't' have a lot of friends. I never did. When you move around as much as I do, it's hard to keep them. But you were different."

Averey scoffed. "You mean naïve."

Melanie shrugged in a "you said it, not me" kind of way. "I'm sorry for what happened. You know how it is now; once the cops are involved, it's everyone for themselves."

Averey sucked in her cheeks.

 _All bets are off_. That was exactly what she had said to Casey when things were becoming too dire: she would keep their names out of her mouth unless the police got involved. She had done the same thing to them as they would do to her. Only, she knew for a fact that she was leading them into a police trap. Just like Gavin had led her into a false sense of security the second she had been entered at Belle Reve. Briefly closing her eyes, Averey he wasn't that much different from them despite how much she tried to convince herself otherwise. She had learned a lot.

"I know that's no excuse, because you didn't know about the Royal Flush Gang back then. If we could go back, I'd change it all," Melanie said. "I never would have brought you in. I apologize." Averey did a double take. She slowly lowered the legs of her chair to the floor and turned her body to face Melanie. Still, she didn't get up from her seat. "I was just following orders. I wasn't strong enough to stay out of it or keep you out of it. But things are a different now. I have a good job. I don't know if I'll have it when I get back home, but it's a job. I told you, I'm out now. I've been out for a while. No security hacks. No break ins. Nothing."

"Then how do you know something's wrong with Axel?" Averey asked.

"I still get information from them now and then," Melanie admitted. Averey groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I know, I know. The thing is, the Royal Flush Gang, we're loyal to each other."

"HA!" She knew she was being loud, but she couldn't hold her amusement back. Glancing over her shoulder, she lifted her hand in a wave to her parents before she faced Melanie again. "You've got to be kidding."

"I know. But it's true," Melanie said. "I mean, if there's any information anyone has about my family, or anything to help me stay out of the way, whatever, it'll get to me eventually."

"And it's legit?"

"Yes."

"How do you know? How do I know this isn't all just a trick?"

"Because it came from The Network."

"Sorry?" Averey got to her feet but kept space between the two of them. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Like a computer network?"

"Not that I know of," Melanie admitted. "I don't really know what it is. I've just heard my parents say, if something needed to get done, they'd consult The Network. If you needed any special equipment, ask The Network." She started popping her knuckles. "I don't exactly know what's going on, but even I know inmates aren't treated the best. Especially those being looked at medically."

"Not surprised on the mental part." Averey scoffed. "Your brother has to be bloody mental to have been wrapped up with James Jesse."

Melanie sucked in a deep breath of air through her nose and closed her eyes. "After my mom and dad were arrested, we were on our own," she said quietly, choosing each word deliberately. "He was in a bad place and the Trickster knew exactly what to say to get him on his side."

"What do you want me to do?" Averey asked. "You know I can't do much. Not while I'm still on house arrest and probation." She shook her head. "You said it yourself, you perfected how to take down security systems. You've managed to get in and out of places without being detected on a lot of other projects."

"Because you know what it's like to have someone in prison that shouldn't be there," Melanie replied. Averey pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, biting down with her teeth. "And you know what it's like to only be a number, and be tested, interrogated, and dehumanized all the time. Like at Belle Reve."

Averey shook. Despite the warmth from the sun above trapped under her long-sleeved shirt, she suddenly grew cold. "Even if I could find a way to get him out," Averey said, "I wouldn't help you. Everyone knows who your brother is. Your dad escaped from Iron Heights and is still being sought after. You'd be looking over your shoulder everywhere you go. Iron Heights is the best place for Axel." She grabbed her phone and pressed the power button to display the screen. Bowing her head, she opened her text messages and composed a new one. "Are we done?"

Melanie got to her feet. "I get that you hate me. I really don't blame you." The chair legs scraped against the concrete as she turned it around and pushed it back under the table. She shoved her hands into her jeans pockets. "But, I know you hate the system too. I just wanted you to listen to what I had to say. That's all. Now you know."

"Mhm."

It had to be a trick. On the one hand, Melanie didn't show any outward signs of deception. On the other, she had to have learned how to tell a convincing story. _She's the only one who apologized_ , Averey reasoned with herself. Not that she was ever looking for one. Just acknowledgement that she had been screwed over. However, she couldn't deny the truth: she had made things difficult for herself, too. Especially when she said When their backs were against the wall, the Royal Flush Gang went from a unit to individuals to ensure longevity of their name.

Axel Walker deserved to be in Iron Heights no matter how much she wanted him out. The Gang had moved on, someone would have taken his place by now. Everything he did was like a game to him. He enjoyed seeing the city in panic. He loved using the Flash as his play thing. James Jesse was like a superhero to him.

"I'll just go," Melanie said, nodding towards Daniel and Ellie as the set a large platter of sushi down onto the table. "I don't want to interrupt your lunch." With that, Melanie turned on her heels, her boots squeaking against the linoleum flooring, and made her through the thick crowds of mall walkers. Averey watched her go, zooming in her vision to watch her. Melanie passed by one set of escalators, a pretzel stand, a cinnamon roll stand, and multiple shops. Averey didn't return her sight to normal until she was sure Melanie was truly gone.

Picking up a piece of sushi, Averey lifted it into the air. "Cheers." Daniel and Ellie tapped their pieces against hers before they all popped it into their mouths.

"Who was that?" Ellie asked, ripping open a packet of chopsticks. She expertly maneuvered it around a salmon roll.

"Melanie Walker. She was my roommate in Keystone."

Recognition of Melanie's name, and what it implied, passed over Daniel and Ellie's faces before it disappeared.

"Why didn't you ask her to join us?" Daniel asked, spreading a dollop of wasabi onto his next bite.

"She was in a hurry." Averey looked back and forth between her parents. "You wanted to meet her?"

"Honey, she was a mate of yours at one time, whether or not you got in to some trouble," Ellie replied. She held a hand over her mouth as she talked. "There must have been something about her you liked enough to bring into your life. And we like meeting your friends."

"I'll remember that." Averey speared a piece of sushi with her chopstick and smeared a dollop of wasabi on it. As the burning sensation started at the back of her head, travelling forward, and into her nose, she hoped it'd burn away the thought.

* * *

Chin held up between his fists, Barry stared at the stack of paperwork on his desk. How was it that everyone magically needed paperwork done at the end of the week, when the beginning of the week was relatively easy?

"Even cops love the weekend," Joe would say. Barry had witnessed many weekends where Joe would practically race out of the precinct the second his shift was over. Even he wanted to strip off his Flash suit and relax for the night after a week of meta encounters.

The only difference was while he and Joe had a work schedule at the CCPD that gave them days off, being the Flash was a 24/7 job. He got lucky if he could go a day or two without an attack or having to go to S.T.A.R. Labs for some sort of test of his abilities.

"I could use my speed and get this done," Barry said to himself, "but, I don't feel like doing it at all." Jay was still out there somewhere. That, and anticipating which metahuman, or when this "Zoom" would make an appearance, was more important. He rubbed his hands over his eyes and leaned back in his seat. Closing his eyes, he let out a sigh through his nose. If it wasn't one thing, it was always another. Hearing footsteps near his office door, Barry let out a groan. "How many times are you going to check up on me in one day?"

"Sorry?"

 _That's not Joe._ Barry's eyes snapped open and he regarded the petite blonde woman in a police uniform who was frozen in mid-step. She gazed upon him uncertainly. "No, I'm sorry," Barry said, dropping his hands into his lap. "I thought you were Joe."

"That's funny." The woman placed her foot on the floor, pink lips parting into a wide smile. "I was hoping _you_ were Detective West."

"You were?"

"Yeah. I've been looking for him for a while." The woman clasped her hands together in front of her. "I don't want to think badly of him, but it kind of feels like he's avoiding me." She waved her hand in the air, scoffing. The smile never left her face. "But that's crazy. I mean the man is busy. It's a busy job. The kind of job I've been dreaming about." Her hands flew up to cover her heart. "And I've heard he's kind of like your dad, so I thought I'd come see if he was up here." Bending at the waist, she started looking around Barry's lab. "Guess he's not here. Oh, well. If I'm being honest, looking for him was also kind of a thinly veiled excuse to meet you." She waved her hand. "Hi! Nice to meet you."

Barry stared at the woman, jaw dropped just slightly. "Um," he said, moving to stand. "Nice to meet you, too?" He crossed the room and offered the woman her hand. She shook it enthusiastically. "You're who now?"

"Oh! I'm sorry." The woman started shaking his hand with more vigor, squeezing his hand in a firm grip. "Patty. Patty Spivot. And you're Barry Allen."

"I'm Barry Al…" Barry stopped himself in the middle of his introduction. "You just said that." He cleared his throat. "You wanted to meet me?"

"Yes," Patty's smile widened even more when she released his hand. "Just to commend you on your work."

"…Oh?" He felt his heartbeat quicken. There was no possible way she could know his secret. Then again, Iris had been able to figure things out for herself. But, still…

"It's fascinating isn't it?" Barry's eyes narrowed slightly. "The things metas are able to do that the rest of us can't?" Barry nodded, sighing through his nose. "Of course, with the reports you've written they've also done some horrific things. I want to be the one who stops them before they can do any harm."

"Which is why you're looking for Joe."

"He's already said 'no'," Patty admitted with a smile, "but I've never taken 'no' for an answer. Three strikes you're out, right?"

Barry laughed, feeling himself relax. "At this point, I'm on, like, my 50,000th strike on anything I've ever wanted from him." Patty chuckled good naturedly. "So, good luck. I really mean that."

"Thanks." Patty pressed her lips together, dropping her hands down to her sides. "So…where is Detective West?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Barry said with a shrug.

"But he's been up here a lot to day?"

 _I did say that, didn't I._ "Yeah, um, I've just had a lot going on lately." Barry swallowed. "I'm trying to catch up on paperwork and…" He indicated the stack with his hands. "it's the weekend so I'm not really focusing on it."

Patty stepped closer to his abandoned table, surveying the papers. "I suppose I'm not helping much."

"No. I mean yes. I mean _no._ " Barry laughed nervously, and Patty shook her head, face scrunching in an "It's ok" kind of way. _"_ I mean…it's a good distraction, don't worry."

"Is it from Flash Day? I heard about that." Patty's shoes squeezed as she turned back to face him. "I mean, with how much he has done for this city, it's great they were recognizing him. But on the other hand, it was so heartbreaking to hear how it turned out. I read all about it in the paper and I just knew I wanted to be part of the action." Her eyes widened, and she waved her hands in the air. "Not that I'm excited for the potential for anyone to get hurt. Just to make a difference, you know? Sorry, I'm talking a lot."

"No, that's ok." Barry smiled. "You're actually doing me a favor and keeping me from my work."

"Hey, maybe if I stick around long enough I could run into Detective West up here." Patty's smile turned into one that was almost pleading. "Right?"

Barry glanced across the lab to the clock hanging high on the wall. "He always comes up here around this time to check in for a late lunch," he commented. "There's a good chance."

"That'd be great and all, but I'm just going to go." Patty started walking backwards, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. "I still have to go out, and I don't want to keep you from your work."

"You're welcome to interrupt my paperwork at any time," Barry replied.

"I've heard how Captain Singh is," Patty said with a knowing smile, "I don't think it'd be a great impression if I caused you to be behind on paperwork a lot. Still got to earn my place around here, you know?" She continued walking backwards, nearing the doorway. "And, I'm sorry to hear about your friend, Eddie."

"Oh…"

"Captain Singh told me he was the one who created the Task Force in the first place." She laughed nervously. "Yeah. Sorry. I'll just—" Barry pressed his lips together to stop himself from laughing when she backed up into the door of his office. It rattled on its slider, sending a loud metal clanging into the air. She steadied it with her hands. "Oops."

"If it makes you feel better, I've done that myself," Barry said. "If I don't have coffee in the morning…" He let his sentence hang in the air.

"Really?" Patty asked, scrutinizing him. At her smile, Barry couldn't help but laugh and shook his head. "No, that's what I thought. Well, thanks for trying to de-escalate the embarrassment." She lifted her hand in a wave before disappearing around the corner. "Bye."

"Bye." Turning back towards the pile of papers on his desk, Barry got to work. With a hint of a smile on his face as he did so. Keeping the speed on his right hand, he used his left to answer his ringing phone, barely glancing at the caller ID (Cisco Ramon) as he did so. "What's up?"

"Fire. Riverfront," Cisco said. "It's a…what would you call it? A one-alarm fire?"

"Didn't I already tell you to stop trying to memorize the codes?"

"Hey, I'm a member of the CCPD now! Kind of." Barry rolled his eyes despite the smile on his face. "Anyway, it's important if I know these things. Also, I added some new bling to your suit and I want your opinion on it. See you soon." Cisco ended the call before Barry said anything else.

Getting to his feet, Barry grabbed his paperwork, rushed down the stairs from his lab to the main area of his floor at the CCPD, and delivered them to Captain Singh before making a beeline for the door. He reached out and grabbed Joe's arms, stopping them from colliding.

"Whoa," Barry said, "what's your rush?"

"No rush," Joe replied, glancing over his shoulder before looking around the office area. "Just looking for someone." He looked Barry over. "You in fact. You hungry? Where are you going?"

"I'm always hungry," Barry replied, and Joe chuckled, muttering a "don't I know it" under his breath, "and there's a fire downtown. Oh! Someone was looking for you. Patty?"

"Sprocket?" Joe asked. His eyebrows lifted before he lowered them as he thought. "…Pocket?"

"Spivot?" Barry supplied. Joe snapped his fingers together and nodded his head. "She said she wanted to be part of the Task Force?"

"Ain't happening," Joe replied. "I've had people over the past six months lining up to be part of the Task Force. The second Atom Smasher turned up, they practically _begged_ Captain Singh to assign them somewhere else."

"Can you really blame them?" Barry asked. "They didn't really know what they were getting themselves into."

"Exactly," Joe said. "No one really knows what it's like to go up against a metahuman. They think it's all fun and games until they're up against one. They don't understand how dangerous it is." He shook his head back and forth. "She told me herself she's seven months on the job."

"I understand what you're saying," Barry replied, "but she's still putting herself in danger every day. Whether or not she's on the Task Force."

"And that's commendable," Joe insisted, "and I do have respect for her to choose this profession. It's not easy. The answer is still 'no'." Barry opened his mouth to protest. "Captain Singh gave me the ability to select who I want on this Task Force and I don't want her there."

"Joe, you can't go out there without back up," Barry replied.

"I'm not going to lose any one else to another metahuman," Joe said. "Ok? Not for a third time."

Barry opened and closed his mouth before he nodded his head. He clapped Joe on the shoulder. "I understand," he replied.

Joe twisted his mouth to the side. "Be careful out there, ok?" he said. "I don't want to lose you, either."

"I will." Barry sped out of the CCPD headquarters, into S.T.A.R. Labs to put on his suit, and across town.

Following the smoke billowing into the sky, he rushed past screaming firetrucks as they headed towards the same destination. Reaching the warehouses at the waterfront, Barry skidded to a stop. An uncomfortable combination of heat from the flames, humidity in the breeze from the water at his back, and the smells of burning materials and rotting water vegetation surrounded him.

After a quick gaze around the open flames, Barry quickly deduced that the flames weren't spreading quickly but confined to one area. Doors to the buildings burst open and men poured out into the streets. Many unharmed, but also some with singed clothes and smoke streaked faces. Barry burst inside, the shrill alarm piercing his ears, and checked each floor and room for anyone potentially trapped inside before tackling the fire. Firefighters outside the building started spraying high-powered water at the building in high arcs.

 _Why are the sprinklers not working?_ Barry looked around the room, using his arm to cover his mouth as smoke surrounded him. Rapidly spinning his arm in a circle, wind cut through the smoke, giving him a good view of the sprinkler system above him. Water wasn't even dripping from the sprinkler head. Stepping around the flames, he searched the system and clicked his tongue when he found the metal bar split in half. Under his feet was a large, rapidly drying puddle of water. _Well, that explains that._

"Ok," Barry said turning around to face the flames. "This'll be easy." Planting his feet on the ground, Barry held his arms out in front of him. Calming himself with a breath, he spun his arms fast, faster, and even faster than that. The flames were pulled towards him, choked instantly by the lack of oxygen. Sweat instantly collected under his suit, making it bunch and stick to his warm skin. He had comfort in knowing that his suit was used as a firefighter prototype, and he knew he couldn't be burned, but it didn't stop the material from chafing as it rubbed tightly against his skin. "Come on, come on."

Teeth grit, Barry squeezed his eyes shut against the smoke, and spun his arms even faster still. Lower and lower, the flames climbed down the walls, across the floor, and into the vortex where it was snuffed out. Coughing as he sucked in a deep breath of air, Barry planted his hands on his hips before lifting a hand to his ear piece.

"Cisco, fire's out," he announced.

"Oh, thank god," Cisco's voice crackled into his ear. "If I heard that alarm one more second, I was going to lose it."

Barry chuckled. "We got lucky," he announced. Spotting movement out of his eye, he turned towards the window and spotted a firetruck's ladder, carrying three firemen, moving into position by the large windows. "The fire started far away from any hazardous materials. Smoke damage for sure, and some boats will need extra care. Other than that, it was pretty self-contained."

"Meaning?"

"Pretty sure this was arson," Barry replied. "I'll know for sure when canvassing the area with the CCPD later, but the sprinkler system was cut through." He sniffed. "Hard to tell over the smoke, but I don't think there was an accelerant."

"They wanted a slow-moving fire?"

"I'm not ruling out that this was an accident, but I have this gut feeling. Maybe it was to distract from something else. It's out now so I'll know more later."

"Good job, buddy."

"Thanks." Barry looked back towards the windows as it was pushed open and droplets of water from the hoses dripped inside. Firefighters started climbing in through the window to survey the damage. Barry stepped over to them, making sure to vibrate his vocal chords. "Sprinklers weren't connected, and there's smoke damage, but not a huge loss."

"Thanks, Flash," the first firefighter into the room said. "We'll take it from here. You really helped us out."

"Seems to me that if you had some sand." Barry whirled around at the voice and came face to face with a man who walked nonchalantly towards the burned boating materials. He let out a low whistle as he surveyed the scene. "It'd be a lot easier."

"This is a dangerous area," the firefighter shouted, pointing a halligan at the man. "Clear out."

"Funny." The man lifted his arms in to the air. Barry stared as a split second later, a constantly tumbling mass of… _something_ took place of his extremities. "I was just about to tell you the same thing." With a grunt, the man threw the mass forward. Barry was knocked off his feet when it hit him in the stomach.

The screams of the firefighters behind him reached his ears before his back collided with a wooden crate that collapsed underneath him. Still the material, which he quickly deduced was sand, pressed on top of him. Harder. Harder. It kept coming, pushing him down through another crate, and another. He couldn't breathe. The firefighters choked, coughed, and screamed as the sand spread, surrounding them and pulling them further into it with each movement.

Feeling the floor behind him, Barry pushed off the ground and streaked forward, slamming the man in the chest with his shoulder. "Ohh." Barry groaned when the man's chest absorbed most of the blow and his shoulder sank in further and further, until the force of the hit knocked him off his feet. The sand stopped flowing, pooling onto the floor…before being pulled back into the body of the slowly moving man. "What…?" Clearly, he was a metahuman.

One by one, Barry grabbed the firefighters in the building, and transported them outside before hurrying back in to face off against the newly identified metahuman. But he was gone. Barry stepped slowly through the room, looking around for any sign of movement. Empty. But maybe not. He hadn't noticed the metahuman before, maybe he was still hiding in plain sight.

 _Crunch._

Barry looked down at the once smooth flooring a second before sand leapt off the ground. Twisting and turning, it spiraled around his body, squeezing tighter and tighter. The more Barry gasped for air, the sand squeezing tighter with each exhale. Cisco was shouting in his ear, but he couldn't focus on his friend's frantic words. The sand lifted Barry high up off the ground and threw the air before it released him. Gravity taking over, Barry slammed into the top of a boat, the structure collapsing over top of him.

"Ow." Each small movement, his body ached, and he moved slowly. Sliding his tongue around his mouth, he spat over the side of the boat before crawling over it. Once standing, he leaned back against the boat and removed his gloves and boots, shaking them out. Wiggling his bare toes, he tried to clear the sand from there as well. Pulling back his cowl, sand flew off his head and he lifted his arms back to scoop it out of the hood before brushing it out of his hair. He could feel it in every inch of his suit, scratching against his skin as he moved. "I hate sand."

He started checking the room a second time, boots crunching over the leftover sand. His heart hammered in his chest, muscles tensing. At any second, he expected the sand to grab him a second time. Speeding through the warehouse, he couldn't find any trace of the metahuman inside. The location of the fire was the only area with any sand. If the metahuman was doing to be anywhere, it would be in that one room. But where…

A roar sounded behind him and Barry turned just in time to see a suited man rushing towards him. Barry quickly stepped out of the way, landing a punch on his body. It barely registered to the man who's boots lightly touched the ground. He slid through the sand before coming to a stop, turning to face Barry.

"Zoom," Barry whispered, taking in the appearance of the tri-colored suited person in front of him.

"Zoom" didn't answer, and stared Barry down through dark slits in his mask. Slowly, he extended his right arm. Twisting his wrist, it burst into blue flames before collecting in his hand and extending larger. Fingers curling around the flames, the suited man swung it towards Barry and he quickly ducked out of the way, feeling a wave of heat wash over him. On the floor, Barry windmilled his arms, extending the air outwards towards the metahuman.

The sword of flames grew shorter, the flames reaching back towards "Zoom." Barry jumped to his feet and side-stepped the sword throwing rapid punches to "Zoom's" rib cage. Each of his strikes was blocked with a quick counter spin of "Zoom's" arm. With the flaming sword being swung through the air, Barry used his forearms to block its strike, grunting in pain at the force of the hit, and the solidity of the fire.

Fortunately, he could only feel a slight increase of heat on his suit. Lower half left open, "Zoom" lifted his foot and slammed it into Barry's stomach, knocking him onto his back. In a swift series of movements, he stomped his boot down on Barry's ankle and it loudly popped. Barry's screamed in pain, pulling his leg up to his chest. Standing over him "Zoom's" sword disappeared, and the flames licked over his suit. Swinging his arms out to the sides in a T, the fire ejected from his body, washing over Barry, engulfing him in a wall of heat. He squeezed his eyes shut and didn't move even when the heat disappeared, and he sensed that he was all alone.

"Barry? Barry!" Cisco was still shouting in his ear.

Removing one hand form his leg, Barry pressed it to his ear piece. "I'm here," Barry said, and Cisco let out a sigh of relief. "I'm on my way back now. Slowly."

"What?"

"Just meet me there."

It took Barry longer than usual to return to S.T.A.R. Labs. He was used to running in pain, but he just couldn't shake what had just happened. Had he really been face to face with Zoom or was that just a new look for the sand metahuman? Every day, he learned new things about metahuman abilities, maybe it was possible people had a mixture of powers. Or maybe they really were metas that had been sent after him. But, could he really trust the words of a man he had never himself met?

"What the hell happened?" Cisco asked as soon as he spotted Barry speed-limping into the medical bay. "You missed a text from Averey, by the way." Retrieving Barry's phone from his pocket, he tossed it down onto the bed Barry limped towards.

"I'll text her back later. As for what happened: I just nearly got drowned in sand," Barry replied as he climbed onto a bed. "And I think I snapped my ankle." Cisco grimaced, looking down at Barry's foot. It was slightly curling in on itself despite sitting straight up. "Oh, but I like the new addition to the suit. The white looks great." He gave his friend a thumb's up.

"Oh yeah," Cisco said with a smile, yet sounding hesitant, "butter me up before I have to reset this." He grabbed Barry's foot in his hands, made a squeaking, whimpering sound and closed his eyes. "Ready?" Barry watched as he silently counted to three before giving his foot a sharp, quick tug out, and upwards.

"AHHHHHH!" Barry started to scream, which caused Cisco to scream, too. But the pain had decreased significantly. Eyes wide, Barry breathed through the pain. "That's worse than when I dislocated my shoulder."

"Come on," Cisco said, offering his hand to his friend. "Let's get this suit off of you, get you banged, and get some ice. You'll need it." Barry swung his legs over the side of his bed, lowering himself down onto one foot. Slowly, Cisco helped Barry out of his suit, careful not to bump or injure his ankle even further. Once his suit was hanging back up on its mannequin, dropping sand as he went, Cisco wrapped his ankle and retrieved his abandoned clothes.

Teeth grit, Barry started flapping out his clothes, sending sand into the air. It almost sounded like snow as it hit the floor of the medical bay. "Sometimes," Barry said as he shook out his pants, "I think sand is worse than glitter. And confetti. And those paper hole punch things combined." Cisco laughed. "God. For real? It doesn't stop." He gave his pants one last shake, and something clattered to the floor. "What was that?"

"Something flew out of our pocket," Cisco replied, pointing towards the floor. Barry hopped into his pants and quickly pulled on his shirt. Cisco retrieved the flash drive that fell under the bed. "Need this for work?"

Pulling the hem of his shirt down to his waist, Barry looked over at the file drive and felt his heart sink into his stomach. "Oh, shoot," he said, scooping it off the floor. "Oh, shoot, today's Friday. I have to watch this. I completely forgot about it!"

"What is it?" Cisco asked. He put his hands up defensively when Barry snatched the device out of his hand.

"Dr. Wells's lawyer stopped by my lab at the CCPD and gave this to me," Barry said, "and said S.T.A.R. Labs would only be given to me if I watched this. Today's the last day to do so before the offer is rescinded. I have to watch this. Now."

"Do you know what's on it?" Cisco asked. He kept his gaze on the device in Barry's hand.

"I just know it's a video message," Barry replied with a shake of his head. "Part of Dr. Wells's living will." He looked Cisco in the eye. "If I'm going to watch this, I want you to see it, too. You and Caitlin." Cisco clenched his teeth, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "Whatever it is he has to say, or explain, you two deserve to hear it more than anyone."

"Ok," Cisco agreed, reaching for his phone. "But as soon as we get there, you're sitting down." He waved his phone in the direction of Barry's leg before he lifted his phone to his ear. "You've still got some time before you're fully healed and you're still favoring your other leg."

"Yep. Sure. Got it." Barry rapidly nodded his head. Hand pressed to the mattress of his bed, he leaned into his arm, feeling his ankle throb and burn with pain. He wished he could speed up his healing even more.

"Caitlin," Cisco said into his phone as he started to pace, "are you still at work? Can Barry and I come over? I'm sorry, I know you have work, but this is important. It's about Dr. Wells. Ok, be there soon." When Cisco gave Barry a thumb's up, Barry shuffled over to his friend, grabbed his wrist, and accelerated out of S.T.A.R. Labs. Rushing across the city, he weaved through the traffic, past pedestrians on the street, and through the many floors of Mercury Labs, coming to a halt in Caitlin's office. Her hair blew about her face, papers flying as they came to a stop. Cisco stumbled over to a desk, leaning himself over it. "Or. We could see you right now."

"Sorry about that," Barry apologized, taking in quick breaths of air. "I was in a hurry."

"I can tell." Caitlin moved to pick up the scattered pieces of paper. "What's going on? You said it was important." Barry quickly explained to her how he had started receiving letters in the mail about S.T.A.R. Labs, his visit from the lawyer, and now remembering the file drive. "You mean you haven't watched it yet?"

"I forgot about it," Barry admitted. "And I want you guys to see what's on it, too. You all have gone through so much with Dr. Wells. You more than either of us, Caitlin." Cisco nodded his head, adding a soft "that's right." Caitlin sighed, her shoulders dropping. "You've sacrificed a lot to work with S.T.A.R. Labs." She hesitated. "We'll leave as soon as we're done."

"Come on," Cisco prompted. "After everything with Eddie and Ronnie…it might help."

"Nothing will help," Caitlin said flatly. She eyed the flash drive with disdain. Turning her back to the boys, she walked the stack of papers over to a desk and slammed them down. "Ronnie stayed here because he knew how important this all was to me."

"Cait, you know you wouldn't have been able to leave S.T.A.R. Labs behind," Cisco replied. "You were at Flash Day, you've helped Barry out with Atom Smasher, and you want to make sure Barry is ok." From his vantage point, Barry could see her lips part. A second later, she pressed them together. "And you know Ronnie wouldn't want to leave _you_ behind, either. Even if you insisted that he leave to keep himself safe. He always would have worried about you no matter what." He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok to miss him. It's ok to feel weird being back at work without him." His face twitched. "Again." He slid his hands into his pockets. "We get it. We may not fully understand, but on some level, we do get it."

"Which is why I want you to watch this with me," Barry said.

Gritting his teeth, he shuffled towards a chair. Caitlin gasped and grabbed her abandoned swivel chair, pushing it to him. Barry sighed in relief when he removed the weight from his foot. "Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" she asked. "And I know it's ok. I just feel like it's my fault."

"You were the only ones Dr. Wells trusted enough to work with after the accelerator went offline. And he _knew_ and _wanted_ it to go terribly wrong." Barry felt his jaw tighten. How he could have looked up to Dr. Wells and put his blind faith in the man he still couldn't understand. He was a forensic scientist, he noticed things about crime scenes to the point that he was recognized for his perception at the CCPD. How did he not notice something was off? "If you're going to blame anyone for what happened to Ronnie, blame him. Dr. Wells. Don't think badly about how you reacted to everything."

Caitlin's nostrils flared as she released a breath of air through her nose. "You didn't do anything wrong with wanting space. But, you and Cisco understand this. You understand me; the Flash, more than anyone else." Barry held the file drive out towards her. "Cait, I'm terrified of watching this. Even more so to watch it alone. This man has screwed up my life so much, I don't know what to expect next. And I know you're scared too. You're scared to go on without Ronnie. For real this time."

"We're right here," Cisco added. "All of us, together. We made it through all the crap Dr. Wells put us through last year. We can do it again now. We can always get through it together."

"Ok," Caitlin said after a moment of silence. With a shaking hand, she grabbed the file drive and closed her fingers tightly over it. "My computer's over here." Barry used his good foot to pull himself over towards the table with her dual monitored computer. Caitlin pulled a second chair over and plugged the drive into the side of her computer. They opened the file and, after six months, came face to face with Dr. Wells when his picture appeared on screen.

Barry placed his finger on the computer key with the PLAY icon. "Ready?" he asked first looking to his left at Caitlin, and then to his right at Cisco.

Caitlin placed her finger on the key beside Barry. "Ready."

"Ready." Cisco followed suit, and together, they played the video.

As he watched, Barry's knees started bouncing. All sound was muffled except for the words coming out of the speakers of the computer. He didn't even want to blink in case he missed something in the video. Cisco and Caitlin were just as quiet, concentrating on the video. Barry was so engrossed in what he was watching, he didn't realize that he had tightly clenched his teeth until he felt an un-ignorable ache in his jaw.

Tapping his feet faster, he released the tension in his mouth, and started tightly squeezing his fingers together. His knuckles popped against the pressure. That smug look on his face made Barry want to drive his fist through the screen. It was satisfying enough to land a super speed punch into his face when he was ready to travel through time back home. If given the chance, he would punch him all over again. Or maybe even worse. Whenever he looked at even a picture of the man he thought was so amazing, his stomach churned, and a deep-seated anger burned in his chest. He hadn't felt this angry since he was a kid, and no one believed that lightning was in his house and that his dad was innocent of murder.

He was innocent of murder…and Dr. Wells had just confessed to the crime.

Barry gasped, staring at the screen. He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Tears pooled in his eyes and slipped down his cheeks. Couldn't blink. He didn't want to miss a minute of his confession. Dr. Well's words, "freely confess", "March 18, 2000", and "broke into the Allen home" were loud and ricocheted off his skull. He barely registered Caitlin and Cisco exchanging shocked glances on either side of him. The edges of his vision went black. All he could focus on was the words.

The words he had longed to hear for years. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that this was what he was seeing.

 _What I'm seeing..._ Barry suddenly jumped to his feet, grabbing his phone. "Turn that off," he commanded.

"What?" Cisco asked but did as he was told. "Why?"

"Barry, this is all you need to get your dad out of Iron Heights," Caitlin said.

"I know, I know, I know," Barry replied, opening his FaceTime app. He paced as he waited for the call to be answered. "Ave needs to see this."

"Hey, hey," Averey greeted as soon as her picture popped up on his phone. "Where are you?" Her eyes narrowed. "And why are you limping?"

"Mercury Labs," Barry replied. "Meta run in. Listen, can you have visitors right now?"

"Yeah, mate," Averey replied with a nod. "As long as I'm in the house by curfew and charging the monitor when it needs to be, I'm good. Why?"

"We're coming right now," Barry replied. He didn't say any more and ended the call. He started pacing again, speaking quickly. "If we can get Averey to watch the whole video, we won't have to worry so much about erasing the beginning of the video. I just can't believe he actually confessed. Of course he would do it now. There's no way for him to be held accountable for his actions. This, of course, doesn't exactly explain what I saw that night, but everyone thought I was crazy anyway, so it doesn't matter." He looked over at Cisco and Caitlin who were staring at him and stopped pacing. "Ok, let's go!"

"Barry, just slow down," Caitlin said gently. "Take a breath."

"I'm breathing just fine, Caitlin, thanks." Barry crossed his arms over his chest. "From all the tests you've made me take, you know my oxygen levels are off the charts."

"Are you sure?" Cisco asked. He tossed the file drive back and forth in his hands. "Because you just sounded a bit crazy there, Barry." He tapped his temple with his finger. "Almost like you didn't get enough up there."

"Yes, I'm fine," Barry insisted. He rubbed is hands together, shifting his weight from foot to foot before holding it out towards Cisco. Cisco hesitated "Can we just go?"

"Fine," Caitlin said. She pulled open a desk drawer and retrieved her purse. "But, I'm driving."

Thirty minutes and numerous complaints of rush hour traffic later, they pulled into the driveway of the Kingston home. "At least wait until I put the emergency brake on," Caitlin cried as Barry launched himself out of the car. Taking quick steps, he reached the front door, and knocked rapidly upon it. Footsteps thudded behind the closed door. The porch light turned on, and Daniel opened the door, gazing upon them in surprise.

"Hi!" Barry smiled a big smile. Caitlin and Cisco waved stiffly on either side of him. "We were just wondering if we could see Averey for a minute. It's important."

"Sorry, Barry," Daniel said, tapping his fingers against the doorframe. "You know Averey can only have two guests at one time. One of you would have to wait here."

"That's ok," Barry chirped, shoving his hands into his pockets. His fingers wrapped around the flash drive in his pocket. "I understand. Thought I'd give it a shot." Cisco's fingers brushed his side and Barry reached behind him to pass off the file. "Caitlin and Cisco can go in. Right now. I'll wait here. Thanks."

"Um, sure," Daniel said, stepping to the side to let them in. He pointed over his shoulder. "Ave's up in her room."

"Thanks." Caitlin brushed past Cisco and stepped into the town house. "You'll be ok waiting, Barr?"

"Mmhmm." Barry kept the smile on his face, nodding. Daniel waved Cisco and Caitlin (who gave Barry a worried look) inside. Barry sped past them. Quick stepping past the slowly closing front door, and his equally slowly moving friends, he hurried up the stairs, and into the first bedroom he found. An empty bedroom. "Ave?" He made sure to keep his voice at a whisper.

"In here, mate."

Confused, Barry stepped over to the closet door, pulling it open. Averey sat at the back with her legs crossed, computer propped up on her lap. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Why are you whispering?" The slight glare of the computer screen reflected off the lenses of Averey's glasses as she looked up at him. "Plus, I reckon I should be asking you that." She picked up on his soft tone and whispered, too. She stared at Barry with a half surprised, half confused face that he was sure he had on his own visage. "You're actually here? In my flat?"

"And you're sitting in a closet," Barry replied.

Averey shrugged. She lifted her hand and waved a circle in the air. "Take a gander, Barry, this place has a bunch of windows." Barry twisted his mouth to the side as he stepped back out of the door frame. Even with blackout curtains, the place had a decent amount of light in it. "The wardrobe's comfortable. That's all." Her eyebrows shifted upwards when Cisco joined Barry at the door.

"How are you comfortable?" Cisco asked. "This is, like, the size of a…"

"Jail cell?" Averey supplied. Cisco hesitated. She smiled. "No worries. It's why I _do_ find it comfortable. I don't need a lot of space." She grabbed her computer and lifted to her feet. "What's going on? I'm not supposed to have more than three visitors." A look of realization appeared on her face. "Which is why you're whispering." She paused. "Are you crazy?! Do you know how much trouble I can get in? I am _this close_ to finishing house arrest."

"I snuck in," Barry replied. He used his hands to mime his speed. "It's important."

Averey lifted an eyebrow. "Must be. If anyone catches you lot up here..." She waved her hand in Barry's direction. "I mean, for you to do something so…un-like you. Sneaking in. Breaking rules." She shifted her gaze to Caitlin and lifted her hand in an awkward greeting. Caitlin offered a warm smile and opened her arms for a hug. Carefully balancing her computer on her arm, Averey accepted Caitlin's hug with one arm.

Barry frowned. "I've snuck out before," he said, defensively. "Iris and I used to sneak out of Joe's all the time."

"And you wrapped Joe's car around a tree," Averey replied with a half-smile. "So I've heard. And I still don't believe really believe you." She put a hand on her hip, eyes narrowing. "That still doesn't explain why this. First you hang up on me. Now all of you are showing up here?" Averey's eyes widened and she looked back and forth between them all. "So?!" They were silent. "What's going on?"

"You have to look at this," Cisco said. He uncurled his fingers, revealing the flash drive in his hand. "Dr. Wells had a will, and in the event of his death, Barry was given S.T.A.R. Labs on the condition that he look at what's on this."

"It's a video message from Dr. Wells," Caitlin said.

For a second time, Barry explained quickly. "The lawyer for his estate told me I had to watch it or I'm giving up S.T.A.R. Labs. And today is the final day to watch it." He grabbed onto Averey's shoulders, shaking her. Her grip tightened on her computer. "Ave, he confessed. He admitted that he killed my mom."

Barry watched Averey's eyes pop open, followed by her mouth, before they closed, and she shook her head. "No way," she said. "Are you serious?" She looked from Barry, to Cisco, to Caitlin. "Yeah, you're serious, mate, I can tell."

"We just watched it," Cisco said, "and came over here to show you."

"How do you know this isn't some Inspector Gadget thing where it'll blow up when you try and watch it a second time?" Averey asked, eyeing the flash drive warily. "Or some trick that'll hack my computer and see you all here. If my probation officer finds out..." She shook her head. "This is Dr. Wells we're talking about! He had everything in our lives planned out."

"That's true," Caitlin agreed. "But, this is also the same man who thought far enough ahead to record this message if he didn't make it." She angled her head towards the device. "You need to watch it, Ave."

Muscles in Averey's jaw twitched when she tightly clenched her teeth. She looked like she was going to protest for a moment, then her shoulders dropped, and she sighed. "Ok, come on, but close the door," Averey said, moving to her bed. Caitlin moved to do as she was told. Barry, Cisco, and Averey knealed on the carpet, propping her computer up on the bed. Barry grabbed the computer and angled the screen, turning up the brightness, ignoring her warning of smudges and fingerprints. She slapped at his hand. "Barry, I swear…"

"Sorry, sorry." Anxiously, Barry smoothed down the hair on the back of his neck. "Sorry I missed your text, by the way."

"No worries. It's actually good you're here." She closed all her computer windows. Barry briefly caught glimpses of a program with a wall of pictures before it, too disappeared "Melanie Walker, my roommate back in Keystone, is back in town. She had met up with me at the shopping center." Cisco sucked in a breath of air. "You remember me talking about her from last year?" Barry nodded. "She says something's up with Iron Heights. If dad can get out with this confession, now might be a good time."

"What does she mean?" Caitlin asked.

Barry followed up her question with, "You think it's really something we need to worry about?"

"Not at first," Averey admitted. "Mate, if there's one thing I know about her, it's that she never begs to talk to people. Usually, once she gets an answer from someone, that's it." Taking the flash drive from Cisco, she plugged it into her computer, and navigated through the folders. "But, she's been trying to talk to me for a tick. Then I started thinking: Iron Heights has a new metahuman wing, there's going to be a new meta-classification system set up, and that new research institute." She made a clicking sound with her tongue. "Not to knock Mercury Labs, Caitlin. But, Dr. McGee isn't actually open about what exactly the institute is about."

"You think it's all connected?" Caitlin asked.

"I'm just saying, if people want to learn more about metahumans, maybe even test them, they've got their fair share of them sitting in Iron Heights," she replied. "It's open season for anyone. Especially since we let General Eiling walk out of S.T.A.R. Labs."

Barry's stomach dropped. _They_ hadn't let him out of S.T.A.R. Labs's Pipeline; _he_ did. They had no choice but to let General Eiling leave. He wasn't a metahuman, he didn't need to be held captive in the Pipeline. While it would make the world a little bit safer for any other metahuman he may set his sights on next, and despite the reservations Averey, Ronnie Raymond, and Bette Sans Souci had at the time, Barry couldn't do that to him.

"I'll see what I can find out," he said, rubbing at his eyes. He dragged his fingers through his hair and over his scalp before using the palm of his head to flatten the hair on the back of his head. Averey opened and closed her mouth. "What?"

"I know someone you can talk to about him," Averey warned, "but I don't think they'd give you an answer."

"Who?" Caitlin asked.

"Gavin." Averey pursed her lips. "I mean, he's still in the Pipeline, right?"

"I can guarantee you, he still is," Cisco said.

"Yeah, well, he made his bed," Averey mumbled, "he can bloody bleed in it for all I care."

"Then why'd you save him?" Caitlin asked. Averey didn't answer.

"You don't think he'd talk to me?" Barry asked.

"Gavin's not a chit-chat kind of bloke," Averey replied. "He's more of the 'Need to Know' type as I came to find out." She shrugged. "I think he's your best bet, if you want to see if Eiling is still into tracking down metas."

"Yeah, maybe."

Averey let out a huff of air, glancing sideways at Cisco. "Look, Barry, I know last year I tended to be the same way," she said, "but now I'm telling you straight up what's going on. And what I've been told."

"I know," he replied. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"Mhm."

Then she played the video.

For a second time, Barry watched the Dr. Wells on screen speak directly to him. He watched him admit to the murder of his mother (Averey grabbed his arm), and he watched him threaten his happiness (Averey painfully squeezed his bicep). And he watched his smile of triumph. Despite everything that they had gone through, Dr. Wells, or Eobard Thawne, thought he was still the winner.

Averey replayed the video, watching it a second and third time. The room was otherwise silent. "Have you shown this to anyone else?"

"Just you three," Barry replied. "I'm sending it to Joe as soon as we're done here." Averey pushed her computer towards him. His fingers shook, and his heart raced as he opened a web browser and logged into his e-mail. His phone vibrated in his pocket, but he didn't bother reaching for it. "I can't believe this."

"How early could he get out?" Caitlin asked.

"No idea," Barry replied.

"The release process could take hours even if it's an immediate order," Averey replied. "The evidence needs to be checked for validity, word needs to be brought to Iron Heights, and even in there you still need to return his property, release paperwork…" She hurried into her closet and returned with her phone. "Get it in now, and he could be released late tonight, or early the next morning. Arvo at the latest."

Barry felt himself smile. He could finally see his dad outside of a glass wall. He could touch him. Talk to him. Just be around him. And all in a matter of hours. For years, he had dreamed of what it would be like when he was finally released…It faded a second later. He turned around to face Averey. Caitlin and Cisco followed his gaze.

"No," Averey said forcefully. "Don't worry about me. Get him out, Barry. That's all that matters." She pushed a smile to her face. "I'll see him on my own time." Barry nodded, and watched her smile falter. Caitlin pulled him into a hug before he got the chance to say anything else.

"I know you've been waiting for this for so long," Caitlin said, "and I know it looked like it wasn't going to happen, but I'm so happy for you. For both of you."

"Thanks, Caitlin." Averey hummed. Barry held his hand towards Cisco who was engrossed in his phone. Still, Barry managed to bump his fist with his own. "What's up?"

"I got a security alert for S.T.A.R. Labs," Cisco said with a frown. "I'm just checking…guys..." He turned his phone around to face them. "Jay's back." A lone figure stepped into the Cortex. "Seriously, how do these guys keep getting in?"

* * *

 **A/N:** A longer chapter for you guys to make up for the wait between this one and the last one. A lot happened in this one, I know. But, I hope you all enjoyed it all the same.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Confused and need further explanation on anything? Leave a comment.

-Rhuben

 **Review replies**

 _Ethan:_ He's kind of a fire metahuman. Yes, Jay and Malcolm took him from Earth-2 to Earth-1.

 _Guest:_ I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I hope you stick around to see what I have planned for him with the rest of the story.

 _gods-own:_ I agree completely. The episodes leading up to Zoom, and Zoom's entrance were some of my favorites of season 2. I think coming off of the death of Eddie and Ronnie had helped that, too.

 _babyj:_ There are a lot of times I watch shows and wish they would go in more in regards to the villains, though I of course know the show is all about the hero. This is my way to get into their heads more to give more of an idea of why I think they act the way they do.

 _spinquin142:_ Jay as Zoom and Malcolm as Cobalt Blue is one thing I'm really excited to write in this story. Getting into the heads of the villains is always a pleasurable challenge. But, I always felt like Earth-2 was a more dangerous Central City than Earth-1's is after Jay took control of it. More of a no hold's barred kind of way of dealing with things.

 _Guest:_ Glad you liked it. Hope you stick around for more.


	7. Come and Find Me

**Chapter Seven:** Come and Find Me **  
**

* * *

Hands planted on his hips, Jay smiled to himself. He turned a slow circle around S.T.A.R. Labs and examined the time on his watch. Surely, the second the security alert for the building went off, Barry would blast back through the doors to face him.

 _Maybe,_ Jay thought to himself, _I underestimated him._ He quickly waved the thought away. Watching Barry Allen for the past six months, he knew the young man to be the type to rush towards danger the nanosecond he learned that Central City was threatened.

There were too many people he cared about in the city to do anything slowly – whether he had his super speed or not. Which was why it was odd that he, for so long, had insisted to work alone. Slowly, but surely, he was getting back to working with his team.

It was annoying.

Everything was about The Flash and The Flash only. He didn't care about the others despite the time he spent (more like, the time he wasted) watching them, learning their routines, and figuring out what kind of people they were, and in turn, what kind of person Barry was. All he needed was to get the others out of the way and he'll have the ultimate fight to prove who really was the fastest man alive.

He had to be careful about it. He could only move each piece of this game very carefully and at the opportune moment. Reveal himself, or Malcolm too early, and he'd be scrambling to think two, three, _twenty_ steps ahead of his opponent if things were to go wrong. Not that he expected it. It still didn't hurt to have a small part of him believe that the Flash could be competent enough (ha!) to figure things out quickly.

And sometimes, it was fun to give things a little push and see exactly what The Flash was made of.

"So, you're back." Jay wiped the smile from his face and tightened his facial muscles to stop it from popping back up when he turned around to face Barry who strode quickly into the room. "Talk."

"First of all, I'm glad to see you're ok," Jay said. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Atom Smasher is not someone you can take down so easily. I know. I've tried." His gaze shifted over towards Caitlin, who stood behind Barry with Cisco, and Joe; not too close, but close enough to aid in protection if needed. He could even see Joe's hand pressed lightly on the gun holstered to Joe's hip. "You really are quite intelligent, Dr. Snow. I must say, I'm impressed with what you came up with to stop him."

A muscle in Caitlin's jaw twitched. She was silent for a moment before nodding her head slightly and uttering a, "Thank you."

"So, you want to know who I am," Jay said, putting his attention back on Barry. "What's my story. Why I'm here."

"That'd be a start," Barry replied, his eyebrows briefly lifting into a look of impatience.

"As I said, my name is Jay Garrick," Jay replied, clenching his teeth. "I don't know why I'm here other than to warn you that if you think Atom Smasher and this new meta you've been facing off against is tough, you have no idea what you're in for."

"Atom Smasher had mentioned a 'Zoom' before he…" Barry swallowed thickly, "died." It was a quick movement, barely noticeable. But Jay caught it.

"Zoom," Jay said quietly, shaking his head back and forth. "Where I come from, just his name can instill the greatest fear inside of you. He's worse than anyone and anything you've ever faced before."

"We've faced a lot, and made it through before," Cisco replied.

Jay tightened the muscles in his face even more. He squashed the bubble of laughter in his chest. They had no idea. "Congratulations," he replied. "But, if Zoom really is here, you can't rely on what it is you've done in the past. It won't help. I've spent too much time fighting against him. Trust me."

"Trust you?" Barry repeated. "Trust some guy who walked in off the street? How do we know what you're saying is true?"

Jay let out a breath of air through his nose. "Because, Barry Allen, I know that you're the Flash," he replied evenly. "Even without any of you telling me. You have the Speed Force in you, I can sense it. In fact, I can track it. I've tracked you all over this city for the past six months." Barry's jaw dropped. His eyes widened a moment before they narrowed. Joe's hand closed around his gun, but he didn't remove it from its holster. "Caitlin Snow, recently employed at Mercury Labs and mourning the loss of your husband. Cisco Ramon, caretaker of your brother Dante—" Cisco snorted, and Jay cracked a smile. "Unwillingly, and civilian aide with the CCPD. Iris West, university drop out and reporter at—"

"Stop," Joe commanded over Jay. Jay warily eyed the gun. "You've been around for six months and you choose now to warn us about this Zoom?"

"You'll notice there haven't been any metahuman sightings in Central City since the singularity opened," Jay explained, "not until Atom Smasher showed up. I had no reason to believe before hand that your world was in any danger until he came about. As we all know, Al Rothstein was said to have been found dead at his job site, and yet he was the one that attacked you."

"That's right," Barry replied.

"It may have looked like him, but it was the Al Rothstein of my world."

"You keep saying that," Cisco spoke up, "'Your world.' That you live in a place that looks a lot like this, it's similar. What do you mean?"

"My world, my Earth, it's very similar," Jay agreed, looking around the Cortex again. "Only, S.T.A.R. Labs from my home is fully operational, provides for the city, and is known to have a tour or two." He licked his lips. "Just like here, it's also the cause for creating metahumans like Zoom. And me. Back at my home, _I'm_ the Flash. The night the singularity opened, I was pulled through into it, and ended up here. Powerless." He stayed silent for a moment to let his words sink in. "Our worlds were connected through a breach, it's the only thing that makes sense and explains how I got here."

"I'm sorry," Joe said, sarcasm filling his words, "but that sounds too much like video game talk to me." He glanced sideways at Barry. "And you know how I never understood the games you and Iris used to play." Barry didn't acknowledge him.

"That still doesn't explain why you waited so long to let us know what was going on," Caitlin said.

"You have to understand, I didn't know what it was that has caused me to lose my abilities," Jay replied. "I spent that time trying to understand it myself and try to regain them in any way I knew possible. If I got through the breach, I know I wasn't the only one. It was only a matter of time before Zoom showed up in this world and when he made his appearance, I wanted to be able to help. Only, Atom Smasher was sent to attack Barry before I could figure it all out."

"Around the fourth month, I knew I had to find someone else who could do it. I needed someone who could help me understand how the singularity was opened. The S.T.A.R. Labs here was my best bet at finding someone who could help me out. All the newspapers and the media pinpointed the singularity opening here. Only I came to find that it wasn't the same as it is on my Earth. So, I waited. And I watched. I saw Barry and Cisco come here day after day. I saw who they talked about, and interacted with, and quickly concluded on who it was that knew Barry's secret, and whom he trusted."

"Once Atom Smasher appeared at Flash Day, I knew I didn't have a lot of time to warn you before Zoom appeared," Jay replied. "Zoom is testing you. And he will come after you. Just like he did to me. If I wasn't somehow pulled into the breach, I believe he would have finished me off."

"You really expect me to believe all of this?" Barry asked.

Jay fought the urge to roll his eyes. Didn't this guy know an evil person when he heard it? He looked from Joe, to Cisco, and to Caitlin whose eyebrows were all furrowed in worry and intrigue. His gaze then landed on Barry, who looked like he was tired of hearing him talk. Jay sure was tired of look at his face.

"I don't expect you to do anything," Jay replied. "Except to be careful." Barry's eyebrows twitched upwards. Jay put his hands on his hips and bowed his head for a moment. "At some point in that breach, I still had my speed. And I'm damn sure glad I did. Without it, I don't think I would have survived passing through. It took me a while to heal and get my strength back." He shifted his weight to the side and Joe lifted his gun out of it's holster a fraction of an inch. Stepping around the computers that separated them, he headed towards the exit. "I sincerely hope you manage to get through all of this in one piece."

 _10, 9, 8…_ Jay counted down in his head as he made his way towards the elevators. It didn't matter one way or another if Barry followed him (although he was sure he would), he had said his piece. He had given ample warning, if he didn't want to follow his words, it was his funeral.

"Wait!"

Jay removed his finger from the direction button to call for the elevator. Turning around from the chiming doors, he slid his hands into his pockets. "I already told you everything I needed to say," he said to Joe. It didn't surprise him that Barry didn't follow him so much as the fact that it was Joe that in fact did so.

"We've already had to deal with trusting someone who seemed to have Barry's best interests at heart," Joe said. "It didn't go well. I'll be damned if anything like that happen again." He was speaking quietly, yet Jay knew he was commanding his respect. It was almost heartwarming how much he cared about Barry. Almost. "I don't trust you, Jay. I have no problem telling you that flat out."

"Ok," Jay replied. "That's fine. But I'm the only one that knows anything about Zoom. You won't be as lucky to get something out of the next metahuman you may face. If Zoom sent them here, they're going to do their best to do what they're expected of; to kill Barry." A muscle in his jaw twitched. Jay put his hands up defensively. "You all can continue to question me if that's what you wish, but it won't stop me from doing what I can to make sure that doesn't happen. Do what you want. I have no reason to life."

"We'll see," Joe replied. "Because from where I'm standing, that's what they all say. Time travel, different Earths as you claim, I may not understand any of that. What I do understand, is that I ignored my gut feeling the first time this happened. I will not let you hurt my son." He stepped closed and prodded Jay in the chest. "If that happens, it'll be the last thing you do."

"I understand," Jay said, "I don't want to see Barry get hurt, either." He gently pushed Joe's hand away. "That's the last thing I'd ever want."

"Good," Joe replied. Though he didn't sound convinced. Rightfully so. "Because I'm not letting you speak with Barry until I know that you are secured." Jay followed the movement of Joe's hand returning to his holstered gun. He used the other to grab onto his arm, his pinkie pressing the button to call the elevator. The chime dinged, and the doors slid open behind them. "You understand."

"I do," Jay replied, shuffling backwards into the elevator. "But you're making a big mistake, Detective."

"I've made a few big mistakes in my life," Joe said as the elevator doors slid shut. He removed his hand from his gun and jabbed the button to indicate which floor he wanted to go. Bitterness filled his voice. It was a sigh Jay loved seeing. "Sending my best friend to prison; convincing not only myself, but Barry, that he hadn't seen a man in lightning and that his dad was actually capable of murdering his mother; leaving Barry in the hands of a psycho future evil speedster; and allowing my daughter to—" He suddenly stopped talking, shook his head, and pressed his lips together. "You're not going to be another mistake."

The two men fell silent. The hum of the elevator filled the space between them. "They say big events, such as the one you listed, define our lives," Jay said after a stretch of silence. "You're a different person before and after said event occurred. You become less and less like the person you were before with each passing defining moment. Soon you don't even know if there's a way to get back to who you were before."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"All of those situations, and working on the police force, have made you a more cautious person," Jay explained. He could feel Joe tense beside him. "I think it's an admirable quality. No matter how misguided I feel it is in this instance—" Joe snorted, "I understand why you're choosing to act this way. But, you'll see."

"Yeah," Joe said as the elevator doors slid open. He nudged Jay forward and he stepped out into the hall of the lower level of S.T.A.R. Labs. "We'll see. Keep walking." Jay put his hands up into the air, allowing Joe to push him through S.T.A.R. Labs and down to the circled opening of what Joe called the Pipeline. Barry was waiting for them.

A series of beeps hit the air before the rounded door lifted with a _hiss._ A set of glass panels slid open vertically and Jay was marched inside. He gazed around the padded walls, at the blue lights angling down around him, and faced the door as it closed.

"You're don't know what you're doing, kid," he said.

"My name's not 'kid'," Barry said tensely.

"You're playing a child's game," Jay replied evenly. "You all are if you think you can handle whatever it is that Zoom is going to throw at you."

"I don't know, we handled Atom Smasher pretty well," Barry replied with a hint of a smile. Jay's jaw clenched. He thought he was so tough. He had no idea what he was in store for. "I think I can handle whoever comes my way next."

"Then why haven't you defeated him, yet?" Jay asked. Barry hesitated. Joe glanced sideways at him. "We call him Sand Demon where I'm from. Fitting that sand just so happened to be found at a blazing fire, don't you think? The press seems to think so. I believe they used the word 'lucky' in their quick explanation on social media. We'll see what they say in the morning, I guess."

Barry rolled his eyes, reaching to the side for something Jay couldn't see. He grinned inwardly at Barry's silence. Instead of a verbal response, he got the sound of the doors of his containment pod locking. "What stopped you from finishing him off at the warehouse?"

"How do you know it was this Sand Demon down at the boating warehouse?" Barry replied.

Jay's lips twitched. It was a valid question. No one had mentioned Sand Demon before him. That wasn't what was caught his attention. It was the suspicion to his tone. It wasn't completely out of left field given his less than warm welcome and equally less than comfortable housing unit. This was different.

"I already told you, I've been watching all of you," he said, pushing exasperation to his words. "After Atom Smasher, I knew it was only a matter of time before another meta would be sent by Zoom. When I heard the Flash made an appearance at the fire downtown, I checked the area myself. What occurred could only have been done by Sand Demon. I've seen his work first hand."

"So you've said," Barry replied.

Jay rest his arms on the glass, followed suit by his forehead as the rounded door narrowed. "Good luck," he said, looking Barry in the eye. "You're going to need it." The door slid shut, cutting Jay off from the rest of the world.

/ / /

Malcolm stared at his watch, watching the seconds count down until it reached 10 O'clock. As soon as it did, he sat back in his seat and gazed upon the computer monitor situated in front of him. A map of Central City filled the screen. It was still, save for a single pulsing dot situated in a building downtown.

"Let's just check…" Getting to his feet, Malcolm pressed his hand to his chest. His palm pressed over the pendant resting against his skin. It grew warmer and warmer by the second. Eyes closed against the sensation, goosebumps popped up on his arms as the heat rolled through his body.

Blue flames burst out between his fingers, under his palm, reached up his arm. It stretched over his body, twisting and turning, until he was covered from head to toe. The warmth tightened around him, tightening, until it disappeared, and he was left with his navy-blue suit stretched over his body. Reaching behind him, he gripped the cowl of his mask and pulled it down over his face, securing it under his chin. A second later, he burst out of the room, blue flames disappearing behind him as he rushed through the streets of Central City.

Bursting through the doors of a building, he slid to a stop, making a face at the water that sloshed into his boots. It was too damp in the room. Perfect for Eddie Slick, who stumbled out of his chair and into an even bigger puddle than the one Malcolm was standing in, but not for himself.

"Oh!" Eddie put a hand over his heart. "You scared the crap out of me." He got to his feet and wrung out the end of his coat. "I thought you were—hngh." Malcolm rushed over to him and grabbed him around the neck, slamming his head down onto the table. "Wait! Wait! Please. I tried. I tried to get the Flash. You saw me."

"Shut up for five seconds," Malcolm said flatly. He removed his hand from Eddie's neck and forced his head face down. "Don't move." With one hand, he grabbed a handful of hair, forcing his forehead forward, the other pulling down the collar of his shirt, revealing a bright pink healing line across the back of his neck.

"I didn't touch it." Eddie slapped his hand over the back of his neck. "It's still there, I promise. You tracked me here, right? Right?! It's still there!"

"I said don't move." Malcolm pried Eddie's shaky, sweaty fingers away from the back of his neck, ignoring his frantic, "Please don't, please, please, please." Growling in frustration, with the fistful of Eddie's hair, he lifted his head off the table before slamming to down again. " _I said don't move_." Licking his lips, Malcolm moved his mouth to Eddie's ear. Eddie flinched at the proximity. "You defied orders once and look at what happened to your family. You want to go back and keep them save, you shut up and do as I say."

"I have to kill the Flash, I know that." Despite Eddie's frantic words tumbling out of his mouth, his body was still. "I tried. You-you're the one that got in the way. I had him."

Malcolm snorted. If he hadn't stepped in, and took on the Flash himself, Slick wouldn't be here. "If you had him," Malcolm said calmly, reaching for a flathead screwdriver on the table – with all the clutter and metal parts, he almost didn't see it. "Then you can prove it when you face the Flash again." He pressed the sharp corner to the skin on the back of Eddie's neck and in one jerk, re-opened the healing cut.

Eddie flailed, his shout of agony reaching every corner of the building. Malcolm pressed down onto his back with his elbow, fishing inside the now openly bleeding wound. He didn't stop until the end struck something solid. The tracker was still there. He removed the screwdriver with a squelch and dropped it onto the table with a loud clang.

"See-see?" Eddie swallowed thickly, cheeks wet. Upon his release, he slowly turned around to look Malcolm in the eye. He gingerly touched the back of his neck, his fingers instantly covered in blood. "I told you."

"Just checking," Malcolm replied. "After all, you did try and trick me before." His boots squeaked as he kneeled in front of Eddie. "You'll get your chance with the Flash again, believe you me. I just need you to wait. I'll come find you when it's time."

* * *

The next morning, Barry jolted awake, gasping for air. Something was smothering him, covering his face. Each breath was harder and harder to not only take in but breathe out as well. A sliver of sunlight hit his face and he quickly realized he was lying in his bed, covered by sheets, and blankets. Taking in a deep breath of air, he pushed everything off him, the cool air raising goosebumps on his arms.

"I was starting to think you were dead," Iris commented. "I was calling your name."

Barry shifted his gaze over towards her, who was leaning in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. Rubbing his hand over his face and up into his hair, he used his other hand to find his phone, finding his bedside table empty save for an empty glass lying on its side, a small stack of books, and his alarm clock, partially covered by a red, gray, and white checked shirt. Eyes squinted against the sunlight he removed the shirt from his alarm clock to look at the time, knocking over a stack of CDs in the process.

"Shit," he gasped at the time, rushing out of bed.

"I was trying to tell you," Iris said, waving his cell phone in the air. He stopped halfway to his closet and held out his hands. "Singh has been calling non-stop." Iris threw it towards him and he caught it against his bare chest, cursing again when he gazed at the screen.

"Why didn't Joe wake me up?" Barry asked, hurrying into his closet. In a burst of speed, he quickly changed into a button up shirt, sweater, and slacks. Shuffling past her to the bathroom, he opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed a brush, sliding it through his hair. Iris followed him, her image reflected over his shoulder. "Singh is really going to kill me this time."

"Dad mentioned you needed the sleep," Iris said. "That the events last night really took a toll on you all? That you needed to rest your ankle." She was silent for a moment, waiting for him to respond. "Did you get hurt?"

Barry squeezed his eyes shut, pausing in his brushing. "Um, yeahhh," he said trying to ignore the stare she was giving him. "About that…"

"What happened?" Iris asked. "What's going on, Barry?" She stepped up beside him, lifting her eyebrows in a demand for an answer. "And why was I excluded?" Barry hesitated. Instead of answering, he chose to finish brushing his hair before proceeding to brush his teeth. Without the use of his abilities. "Don't shut me out. I'm part of this now."

He slapped his hands down on the edges of the sink, water, toothpaste, and spittle flying up to dot the mirror. "I gish vu gernt," he said.

"What?"

Barry spat his mouthful of foamy toothpaste into the sink, washing it away with running away. "I said, I wish you weren't," he replied, licking at the toothpaste at the corner of his mouth. Iris gasped, giving Barry an "are you kidding me" look. "I can't thank you enough for what you did to help me with Atom Smasher, but what we do is dangerous."

"Don't you think I know that?" Iris asked. She stood beside the sink, just out of the way of his elbow that waved as he furiously brushed his teeth. "I was there last year, remember? It was only a glimpse, sure, but I saw what you, and Cisco, and Caitlin, and Averey go through while at S.T.A.R. Labs. I was there when Eddie and Ronnie sacrificed themselves to save us." Barry brushed his teeth faster, harder, and louder and Iris pressed her lips together. "I saw how it all turned out. And I still came back to help you any way I could. That's not going to change. You can't push me out now. I won't let you."

"I'm trying to keep you safe, Iris," Barry replied. He spat into the sink a second time and used the water to rinse his toothbrush. He tapped it against the side to shake off the excess water, each tap harder than the last. "Last night, I went up against a metahuman that I can't even hold on to, I nearly had my ankle snapped into two pieces, found out dad can finally get out of prison because Dr. Wells admitted to murdering my mom, and then Jay Garrick came back to warn me about this 'Zoom' guy that's sending metahumans to kill me."

"Wait, wait," Iris said, putting her hand in the air. "Henry is getting out? Seriously?"

Barry nodded his head. "The only way I could keep S.T.A.R. Labs by watching this video that Dr. wells recorded for me to see, I watched it last night and he confessed." Iris's eyes widened. "I gave it to Joe, and he says it looks promising. Averey said it could take some time but…" He glanced at his watch. "If he was being let out today, I'd know by now, right?"

"He's the first person I'd be witnessing getting out of Iron Heights," Iris said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know how it all works." She slowly shook her head back and forth. "Barry, why didn't you tell me about any of this? Or show me the video?"

Barry didn't answer, he needed some time to think. Of course, Iris would want to see the video. For a long while, she was the only one who knew what he was thinking and feeling regarding his dad being stuck in Iron Heights. But at the time, it wasn't about his dad. Not entirely. It was about Dr. Wells and what he had done to the three of them. On the other hand, if it wasn't for Dr. Wells, they wouldn't have lost Eddie, too. On the _other_ hand, Eddie would have been dragged into it somehow seeing as Eobard was his ancestor.

"It was a split decision," Barry explained. He started talking quickly, walking back into the room for his shoes, his wallet, and his abandoned phone. "Once the video was watched, the paperwork would have been started for me to get S.T.A.R. Labs – which, by the way, I need you to look out for in the mail – and I didn't know what was on it, except that it was from Dr. Wells." He threw his hands into the air when his phone started ringing again. "Caitlin and Cisco knew him way longer than I did and needed closure, and if anything were to happen to the video, I knew Averey would always be able to remember it. Plus, he's her dad to, so…"

"So," Iris said quietly, "everyone saw the video but me? If you gave it to dad, he's seen it by now, too."

Barry's shoulders dropped. He hated seeing Iris upset, especially when he was the one who was the reason for her feeling that way. "Can we talk about this later?" he asked. "I'm already incredibly late and this isn't helping."

"I'm not trying to put more pressure on you," Iris said.

"Then stop, ok?" Barry said, partially at his ringing phone and partially at her. "Just stop. I already got a lecture from this Jay guy, I don't need another one from you right now."

Iris put her hands up defensively. "Ok," she said quietly. "Ok." She sat down on the corner of his bed, staring up at him. "Whenever you decide you want to start talking to me again and stop seeing me as someone you need to protect, let me know. I'll be right here." Barry sighed through his nose. "Because in case you forgot, I beat the stuffing out of you when dad first started to teach us how to defend ourselves. _And_ I was the one who gave Woodward the final blow." Iris puffed out her chest. "Without abilities, I might add."

"First of all," Barry said, lifting a finger into the air, "Woodward was already on the outs, and you sucker punched me, so it didn't really count."

"Your butt would tell another story considering how hard it hit the ground when I 'sucker punched' you," Iris said with a smirk.

"And secondly, you had five years' experience over me when he first started teaching me, so it really wasn't that fair."

"Mmhm. And the time I out-shot you at the gun range?"

"You don't need to shoot a gun as a forensic assistant."

"All these excuses," Iris said with a hint of a smile. "I'm just saying, I know how to take care of myself. _We_ know how to take care of ourselves. Because dad took the time to teach us how to do so for when he couldn't be there. And I need to know how to do that when you're not there, either, as Barry or as the Flash."

Barry sat down beside her. "I'm listening," he said to her. "I really am. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just—"

"Want me to be safe," Iris reiterated. "I know that. You want us all to be safe. But, we can be safer when we know the full story." She clasped her hands in her lap. "I have the responsibility of keeping people safe, too, you know. Whatever you do, it's my job to report it to the city in the _Picture News._ I know I can't exactly give out all details, but for every detail they can stay on top of, it's one less person that gets hurt."

Barry was silent for a moment. "I never thought of it that way."

"I may not run out there like you or sit in S.T.A.R. Labs giving you advice on a call, I can help in my own way" Iris shrugged. "I fight with my words, that's all."

"Oh, I know that's true," Barry said, and Iris elbowed him. "Ouch. For real?"

"You're my best friend, Barry," Iris said as her laughter faded. "I hate seeing you this way. We've all changed over these past six months, but that doesn't mean we can't learn how to adjust to those changes and be stronger, and better than before everything that went down. You can still trust me. Whatever it is you've got on your shoulders, you know I can carry some of it if you need me to."

"You've been carrying a lot of that weight for me, Iris," Barry replied. "And I don't think I've thanked you enough for it."

"You haven't," Iris said, plucking a stray thread from his sweater before fixing his collar, "and I expect to be repaid in full at some point." Barry laughed. "Now get to work before Singh really goes nuclear. That's the last thing you need."

"You're the best, Iris," Barry said getting to his feet.

"I was told kind of the same thing, recently," Iris explained. "I needed to hear it, too. You going to be back in time for dinner?"

"I don't know when I'll be off today, and I was going to check in on Averey," Barry said, "because I might have jeopardized her house arrest with sneaking into her house with Caitlin and Cisco."

"You _might have_?"

"Ok, I did."

"Barry!" Iris opened and closed her mouth, unable to form a single sentence. "I don't know what to say."

"I know, I know," Barry groaned. "She doesn't have a lot of time left and I really could have screwed it up. I thought it was a good idea! It was just the rush of it all, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and who better to confirm it then someone who has a photographic memory? I'm sorry I didn't tell you until now.

"It's ok," Iris said. "I'm just surprised, is all. I thought after I found out about your speed problem," Barry frowned at her choice of words, "we'd be closer, that's all. We've been able to tell each other everything. Once I knew that, I didn't think anything else would be off limits."

"Iris, there are going to be things I won't want to tell you right away," Barry said, "but that doesn't mean I don't want to tell you. You have to trust that I will, eventually, tell you. Ok?"

"Of course," Iris replied. "I mean, it _did_ take you a while to tell me you were the ones to eat ally my green jelly beans every Easter and not dad."

"They're the best kind," Barry protested, his voice jumping up an octave. "Geeze. For real? I thought you got over that." Shaking his head, he grabbed his phone and pressed it to his ear. "Unbelievable." After listening to Singh's and Joe's most recent voice messages, he rushed out of the West House, across town, and into the warehouse he was at the day before. As soon as he stepped through into the crime scene, he made a beeline towards Joe. "Sorry, I'm late. I didn't have my phone; my alarm didn't go off. Iris said you wanted to give me some time to sleep?"

"I already told Singh that you'll be clocking in late," Joe replied, waving his hand away.

"Didn't stop him from blowing up my phone, anyway," Barry said.

"Oh, that wasn't about this," Joe said, giving him an odd look. Barry blinked in surprise. "That was about your dad. I told him you were up late worrying about the evidence you submitted in your dad's case. He okayed it."

"And? What about him?" Barry asked. "Is he getting out? Is everything ok? Nothing happened, did it?"

"No, no, calm down," Joe said, taking Barry's shoulders, gently shaking him. "Your dad's ok. The evidence you submitted—"

"The video from Dr. Wells, yeah," Barry said, rapidly nodding. "Joe, what? What is it?"

"Would you give me ten seconds to tell you?" Joe asked with a laugh. "Singh just got word from Cecile Horton, the D.A. that tried to help us move the metahumans." He shook Barry again, his smile widening. "It worked. Everything has checked out. Your dad's coming home."

Barry didn't know whether to laugh or start crying. Joe didn't give him the chance to choose which option to go through as he was pulled into his chest in a tight hug. Even tighter than the one he received when he first arrived at the West house years ago. He wanted to run anywhere and everywhere, and just let out all the excitement that was suddenly building and crackling inside of him.

"He's coming home," Joe whispered in his ear, "your dad's coming home."

"When's he getting out?" Barry asked, pulling away from Joe. "Can we get him now?" He looked around the room. "Well, not _now_ , now…"

"There's still a lot they need to get done, but Cecile assured me it'll be soon," Joe replied. "Right now, we need to figure out what happened here." He drew a circle in the air with the pen in his hand. "This fire didn't start on its own, it was definitely arson."

"Which narrows it down to…oh, too many people to count," Barry said. "I'd even guess Mick Rory, but he's more likely to actually burn the whole place down, not just a corner." He looked around the room, quickly taking in sights and details he hadn't noticed before. "And not with gasoline, either." He motioned for Joe to step closer towards him. "Only, I know for sure it was a metahuman. He tried to suffocate me and a few firefighters that responded to the call yesterday. The water main line for the sprinklers was cut, there was no water for the sprinklers."

"Anything else?" Joe asked, writing frantically in his notebook.

"Yeah, sand," Barry replied. "He tried to suffocate us with sand." He pointed towards one of the boats in the room. "That boat, with my body print in it, was where I had landed after a few good punches."

"Sand…Demon," Joe said quietly. Barry slowly nodded. "Just like Jay said."

"That's just one thing he got right," Barry muttered. "The only thing is, his body was made of sand. He could pull it to him and form his body out of it. I don't think there's any traces of it left in here." He snorted. "I mean, I took a good decent amount back to S.T.A.R. Labs in my suit—" Blinking rapidly, he looked at Joe with wide eyes.

"Call Cisco, now," Joe commanded.

Barry fumbled for his phone before jabbing his thumb in the 4 key of his keypad, speed-dialing Cisco. He paced as he waited for the call to be answered. "Cisco! Hi!" he said as soon as he heard his friend's cheerful greeting. "Listen, you remember that sand I brought back to S.T.A.R. Labs yesterday?"

"The sand you got all over my floors?" Cisco asked dryly.

"S.T.A.R. Labs belongs to me so _technically_ , it'd be my floors."

"…And in my suit?" Cisco asked. "How could I forget? It took me ages to hoover and sweep it out, I'll have you know."

"Well…" Barry lowered his voice. "Hold on, I thought we were calling it _our_ suit."

"That was before you got sand stuck in all the fibers," Cisco replied. "Do you know how long it takes to get sand out of a washing machine?"

"I'll pay part of your water bill to make up for it," Barry suggested, rolling his eyes. Cisco grumbled his acceptance of the offer. "Look, I was calling to ask if, by any chance, you still have some of that sand around."

"Of course, I still have it around," Cisco replied. "It's _sand_!" Barry wondered if Cisco removed his phone from his ear just to shout into the mouthpiece. "I try to clean it and it just sticks around."

"Good, I need you to collect as much of it as you can," Barry replied, "and run some tests on it. I don't exactly know what it is you're looking for, but that metahuman I fought the other day was made of it, and I need you to look at it. Look for anything abnormal."

"He was _made_ of sand?" Cisco asked. He let out a low whistle. "I'm on it. I'll do what I can. But, if this meta was made from sand, then Caitlin may be the better person to ask." He sighed. "I know I can't keep asking her for help…it'd just be easier if she was here."

"Yeah, I know," Barry agreed. "But, I know you can do it."

"Thanks for your vote of confidence," Cisco said. "I'll call back if I find anything out."

"Thanks. Oh, Cisco, I have good news! I…" He trailed off, choking on his own words. This was something he had to tell Iris first. "I'll have to tell you later. Sorry, bye." Cisco could be heard groaning through the receiver, but Barry hung up on him. Turning around to face Joe, walking directly into a woman he didn't notice was standing behind him. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

"That's ok," Patty said with a smile, smoothing down any flyaway hairs on her head. "That was my fault, I didn't let you know I was behind you." Her eyes widened slightly. "Not that I was behind you for long and not that I was listening in on your conversation or anything. I just heard you say 'sand' and wanted to give you this." She held up a vial, extending it towards him. "Help you out with your investigation?"

"Sand?" Barry asked, taking it from her.

"I found it over here," Patty said, angling her head to the side.

"I'm right behind you," Joe said, gazing upon Patty with curiosity.

Barry fell into step beside her as she led him through the warehouse. "I didn't mean to jump in on the investigation; I was assigned here to make sure no one tried to muck up the crime scene. You know, amateur forensics, sleuths, conspiracy theorists, and all that. But, I can't help but get involved you know? Trying to figure out what caused an injury, a fire, someone's death when it seems like there is nothing that could piece the story together."

"Yes, exactly," Barry said with a smile. "There's something so gratifying about being able to see things that other people don't notice. I mean, something as small as…" He held up the vial in his hand. "A grain of sand can help solve a case."

"Well, I hope it helps solve this one," Patty said, coming to a stop. "This cut is a little _too_ precise, right?" Barry looked at where she was pointing and came face to face with a thick wire cut in half. Almost too perfectly. "That's what I thought, too. This is where I found the sand, and this is the only place I could find a finger print. I think a metahuman may have caused this. As you all know, sand tracks _everywhere_."

"Don't I know it," Barry whispered.

"But there's no sand coming to this point or leading away from it," Patty said with a proud smile. Barry looked over at Joe who stared silently at Patty. "I think, no, I strongly believe a metahuman is involved in this."

"It's…possible," Barry said. He waved the vial in his hand. "And this will help me figure that out. Thanks, Patty."

"Of course," Patty chirped.

"You know, that's some pretty impressive work," Barry said, glancing sideways at Joe. "Did you study forensics?"

"Not specifically," Patty replied, lifting onto the balls of het feet, "but I did study the sciences. You know: Biology, Chemistry, Physics. You need to know it all to understand it all, right? Because, as we all know, metahumans aren't exactly normal. They can do things we never even thought of. It's pretty cool, right?" She paused, her smile freezing for a moment. "In a sort of terrifying way."

"Oh, hell no," Joe muttered, massaging his temple with his fingertips. "I see what you're doing, it's not going to work." He gave Barry a look of warning. "Understanding metahumans is one thing, facing them is another."

"True," Patty replied, "but you can say the same about any criminals we face."

"Ah, but these aren't just any criminals," Joe said. "If you'll excuse me, I need to call this in to Singh." He leaned closer to Barry and added, "And see if I can get any more information from Cecile."

Barry smiled.

* * *

Removing the nail between her teeth, Averey lined it up against the Sharpie-d dot on the wood. With three quick strikes of the hammer, it was partially nestled in the wood and she covered the flat top with a neon orange circular sticker. Whistling to herself, she shuffled across the table she was standing on, eyeballing the distance between the last orange dot and the first. After quickly scribbling a dot on the dark wood, she hammered in another nail.

"That's out of alignment."

"No, it's not," Averey instantly replied.

"Are you sure? I can get you a level to double check."

Averey lifted her hand and curled her fingers until her middle finger was sticking straight up in the air. "Piss off, yeah?" she said, turning around to face Barry before lowering herself to sit on the edge of the table. "Thought you'd get here faster."

"Figured I'd take my time," Barry replied sharing her smile of amusement, "for once." He looked around the room. "You've really did a number on this place."

"Would be here longer if the Flash wasn't helping us," Averey replied, kicking her legs back and forth. She pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "How'd you know it was me up here?"

"Honestly? You're the only one here that looks like you're playing dress up." Averey looked down at her oversized neon vest, grasping the hard hat on her head with her hands as it wobbled with effort. Barry smiled. "What were you doing up there, anyway?" He moved to sit down beside her.

"Marking where to hang the menu signs," Averey replied. "You wanted to talk?" Barry nodded, but didn't say anything. He just smiled. The most peaceful smile she had ever seen on his face. Leaning over to get a good look at his face, Averey matched his smile with one of her own. He locked eyes with her. His smile grew bigger. Hers got bigger. He let out a short laugh through his nose. Her chest rattled with on her own, muscles straining to hold it in. They broke at the same time, laughing and screaming in excitement before reaching out to hug each other. "I'm so happy for you, Barry. Dad's coming home. You always said you would do it."

"He's coming home," Barry repeated, voice barely above a whisper. Eyes narrowing, Averey noticed a change in his expression. The slight tilt of his eyebrows tilting towards each other, a frown line cutting just slightly around the sides of his mouth, the pressure of his lips together increasing just slightly. It was subtle but it was there. "He's coming home."

Eyes narrowing, Averey dropped to the floor (something Barry didn't have to worry about with his long legs), and motioned for him to follow her. Heading towards the stairs leading up to the second floor of the coffee shop, she said, "Needed to get out some of my energy, and I'm tired of doing paperwork." She gave him a half smile over her shoulder. "By the way, if anyone asks, 'caulk the wagons and float' means anything other than how it sounds."

"Seriously?" Barry asked. His eyebrows lifted in amusement and confusion at the change in subject.

"I get done with paperwork quickly and dad just gives me more. I couldn't focus on editing pictures so…" Averey let her sentence trail off, moving to sit on the floor of the empty landing. "It was between that and _Sims_ , yeah, and I wasn't looking to be evil to fictional people tonight." She removed the hard hat from her head and ran her fingers through her sweaty hair, plopping it on his head. Barry chuckled, adjusting the hat. "I'd ask how you got in here without safety measures, but I can guess. What's going on? You were happy just one second ago."

"For one, Captain Singh has been badgering me about you returning his phone calls," Barry replied, sitting down beside her. "I've had him badgering me about a lot of stuff, I don't need that, too."

Averey smiled, "I thought it was a sister's job to make life harder for you." Barry couldn't help but laugh tiredly. "Tell Captain Singh I don't want the money."

"Sorry?"

"All C.I.s get ten percent of funds recovered when a bust works out based on the tip given," Averey explained. "I told him the night the arrest went down at Mercury Labs that I wasn't interested in any of the money."

"So why would he still need to talk to you?" Barry asked.

"How the bloody hell should I know?" Averey asked, an edge suddenly coming to her tone. "I've been stuck between home and here all the time."

"How much longer?" Barry asked, his gaze going to her jeans covered legs.

She could make out the slight bump around the material at her ankle and was sure he could see it, too. "Not too long," Averey replied. "Never thought the day would come, honestly."

"You didn't get in trouble with your probation officer or anything?" Barry asked. "When I came over?"

"No, thank god," Averey replied with a sigh. She put her hand to her stomach. "I mean, I don't know. I've been ill about it all day, thinking every call is going to be her. I don't think mum or dad noticed you lot were in my room, but still…" She swallowed and explained, "I'm waiting for her check in call, anyway, since I'm gong to be out past curfew. If she says anything, it'll be then, or if she shows up for a surprise check in at the house."

Barry gazed at her in alarm. "I didn't mean to jeopardize your house arrest. I apologize. I know you've been working hard."

"Don't worry about it. My being out late tonight was known a week ago when I submitted my weekly schedule."

"But, my coming over..."

"Whatever happens, I'll deal with it, yeah?" She gave Barry a fleeting smile, one he returned before they both fell silent. She didn't know what he was thinking about, but she was having a hard time steering her thoughts clear from sitting behind bars. The landing was just a tad smaller than her last cell… Averey twisted her legs outwards and inwards, tapping the toes of her feet together. "Oh, but while you're here." She reached into her pocket and removed her phone, opening her image gallery. "I was looking through my pictures from Flash Day, and guess who I saw in the audience." Barry leaned over and looked at the images of Jay Garrick on her phone. "I don't know what he wants from you, but in all the pictures I have, he barely took his eyes off you."

"Everyone was looking at the stage at the rally," Barry replied.

"Not like this," Averey said, shaking her head. "There's just something off about it."

"Well, he's in the Pipeline for now," Barry said. "Just until we can confirm whether or not what he's saying is true. He claims to have come from another world."

"That's exactly what he said when you were fighting Atom Smasher," Averey replied. "That his world was like ours, but with changes. That he knew who we all were and had for some time."

"He's been watching us," Barry replied. "Ever since the singularity." He shook his head back and forth. "I always felt like someone had been watching me. But, I'm so used to it, you know? Everyone's been watching me since dad was arrested." He sighed. "I can't help but be weary of this guy. How do we know this wasn't part of his plan, either?"

"Who? Dr. Wells?" Averey asked.

"Or Eobard, or whatever else name he wants to go by," Barry replied. "He had everything set up. How do we know for sure he didn't send someone in to take his place if things went sour?"

Averey opened and closed her mouth but didn't say anything. She shook her head back and forth. "Fair point," she agreed. "Then what's his game plan this time?"

"I don't know," Barry replied. "But, I'm not going to just let it happen. Whatever it is." Barry squeezed his eyes shut.

The lights flickered. Barely. Enough for someone to notice, but not to really take pause and look at what had occurred. Then it flickered again. And again. A little longer this time. A little longer than that. Then the lights start going crazy.

"Barry," Averey said, shaking his shoulder, "Barry, calm down!"

Letting out a derisive laugh, Barry opened his eyes. "Calm down?" he repeated. "Calm down? He killed my mom, Averey."

"I'm well aware," Averey said lifting a hand to shield her face from the lights. They were already starting to throb in pain by the rapidly changing light. "But-"

Barry didn't listen and continued talking. "He blackballed Hartley Rathaway from the industry, destroyed Caitlin and Cisco's careers in one fell swoop, killed people in the explosion that he knew was going to happen, put me in a coma for nine months, trained me to become the Flash, and blackmailed me to attempt to let him go home without any consequence," he burst out. Spittle formed at the corner of his mouth and he wiped it away with his shirt sleeve. "Don't tell me to calm down!"

"You're causing the electricity to wig out, mate," Averey replied. Barry looked around the room and indeed saw the lights flickering. Slowly breathing out of his nose, he attempted to relax, and the flickering slowed until it stopped.

"What was that?" a voice below them, asked.

"Maybe some faulty wiring," another voice replied. "I'll go check the fuse box."

"That should give the electrician more work to do," Averey commented. "I think you're focusing too much on Dr. Wells."

"How could I not?" Barry asked. "He's controlled such big aspects of our lives. How do we know this isn't just another thing he's controlling?"

"So what's got you so aggo? That Dr. Wells got off scot free because he died, or because you weren't the one to finish the job?" Averey asked.

"I'm not the reason dad's getting to come home," Barry said. "I always said I would do it but...this feels like it was just handed to me. You know?"

"I agree, we can't really rule Dr. Wells out," Averey said, stretching her arms above her head before proceeding to stretch her legs, pulling one towards her, "but you can't say for sure that's what's happening here. We need to look at every angle, here. What, in Dr. Wells's past, and past actions, would have you believe that he'd push off anything he could do on his own, to someone else?" Barry was silent. "See? Barry, don't jump to conclusions, here. You really need to think about what led up to this point. Make an informed decision from that."

"He's just screwed up so much," Barry said quietly. "What hasn't he done? I mean, how different would things have been if it never happened? Where would S.T.A.R. Labs be? Would we have even met?" Averey hummed. She hoped so. Now that she was getting to know Barry more over the past months, it was weird to think about what life would be like without being exposed to metahumans. "Would Eddie and Iris have even gotten together?"

Anger suddenly flared in her stomach. Slapping her hands down onto the flooring, she spun herself around to face Barry so quickly, some of her hair flew up and slapped the side of her face. "Never, as long as I am in this bloody city, _ever_ say something like that to me, in front of me, or around me, ever again," she said in a quiet, yet deliberate tone.

"What…?"

"First of all, not only are you selling him short, but you're also insulting Iris, too," Averey replied. "You think just because you'd still be around they'd never develop feelings for each other? That they still wouldn't take a chance and be together? He was Joe's partner for god damn's sake, they would interact at some point. You can't change any of that Barry. You can't go back in time and—" She stopped talking, putting her hand into the air.

Because he _could_ go back in time. He could change all of this. Not only that, but he had even had the opportunity beforehand to do so and had ultimately come to the decision to not save his mom. But no one knew the reason why. No one knew that he had seen himself, another version of himself, in the house that night. She never asked him why he didn't save his mom, no one did. But she often wondered how much would have changed if he had. If had just done so, Eddie wouldn't have felt compelled to take matters into his own hands, and the singularity wouldn't have taken Ronnie's life. If, if, if…

"I take it back, it's none of my business," Averey said, lowering her hand to the floor. "You feel how you feel. Who am I to tell you that you're wrong for feeling that way?" For a stretch of time, the two of them were silent. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's ok," Barry replied.

"This isn't a hand out, Barry," Averey said. "Dr. Wells made that tape in the event something happened to him. At some point, he knew, that because of you, his plan wasn't going to end up the way he wanted it to. You helped make that happen." She put a hand on his knee. "This is a win for you, ok? The important thing is that you've been right all a long. Your dad never killed Miss Nora. Now everybody knows you've always been telling the truth."

Barry gave a hint of a smile.

Footsteps hurried up the stairs, and a man stopped short on the landing. "Sorry," he apologized, "didn't mean to interrupt your conversation. I'm just going to check the breaker." He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "Also, some guy just dropped off some dessert. Said they were to celebrate finishing up rebuilding the place. There's a box for you, Ave."

"Can you stay for dessert?" Averey asked, getting to her feet. She brushed off the seat of her pants. "Cheers, Gus."

"I haven't even had dinner yet," Barry said, rubbing his stomach. "I could eat it all."

"You better not," Averey warned, slapping his stomach with the back of her hand. "Some of us can't eat everything in sight and not gain a pound." She planted her hands on her hips. "Dad's had me working out so often, I'm packing in all of my cheat days into…well, right now." Stepping up to the crowded table, she surveyed the brownies and cakes. "Take some of this home to Joe and Iris, to celebrate the good news." She quickly gazed over the brownies, doughnuts, and slices of cake until spotting a box at the end of the table. Narrowing her eyes, she slowly zoomed in on the box when she spotted writing on the top. Her name. She stepped around the giddy workers, until she was in front of the box. "Hm. It really is for me."

"Looks like cupcakes," Barry said looking over the label.

Averey's ears went hot. Slowly, she grabbed the box and flipped open the lid. Writing on the underside instantly caught her attention. "Congratulations on your freedom," she read aloud, "a little earlier than usual, but it's the thought that counts. I've got this round."

"What does that mean?" Barry asked. "Ave?"

Averey swallowed. Her legs felt heavy, rooting her to the spot. "When I got out of Keystone Regional," she said quietly, "Eddie and I went and got cupcakes. It's almost been four years since then." Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked over the message again. "'A little earlier'…" She looked down at the row of white frosted cupcakes and dragged her finger through the frosting on one of them, sticking it in his mouth. "Marshmallow." She pulled on her bottom lip as she thought. "But there's no way he would know…"

Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Averey turned towards the door, just in time for him to step out of the lit awning and into the darkness. But she recognized the face. There was no way she was seeing them— Her hair whipped around her face as Barry burst out the front doors in a crackle of lighting. The hard hat she placed on his head bounced once, twice, three times on the floor of C.C. Jitters before wobbling and shaking as it slowed to a stop. Abandoning the box of cupcakes, she hurried after him into the cool night air. Barry stood just outside the door, staring down the street, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed.

"You saw him, too," Averey asked. Her stomach muscles tightened as she waited for the answer she didn't necessarily want to hear. "Right?"

Barry slowly nodded. "Not just this time," he said quietly, "before. At Flash Day…" He turned to look at her. "I thought it was...I _know_ it was…" Averey finished his sentence with him, "Eddie."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for the wait. Life got in the way, FFN had issues, I got sick, lack of motivation, writer' block, a lot of things hit me all at the same time and that's why it's been over a month since I've updated. But, here's the next chapter. I'm going to try really hard to keep in the groove of writing this fic and updating it on Fridays from this point on. The ending to this I originally had written a different way at the end of the last one, but thought it worked better here.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Confused and need further explanation on anything? Leave a comment.

 **-Rhuben**

 _._

 ** _Review Replies:_**

 _Ethan:_ Averey's been working on a database, not so much a classification for metahumans. Just a place to store all the information they know of the metahumans they've encountered so far. That was a pickup line so to speak for Barry; in his nerdy way, of course.

 _spinquin142:_ Averey will have more characterization shown in little scenes like that as the story goes on. It's one of the things I'm excited to show as the story goes on.

 _gods-own:_ I will say there's one aspect to Earth-2 Barry I'm really excited to see the reactions for.


	8. Down to Experience

**Chapter Eight:** Down to Experience

* * *

"Owwww." Averey squeezed her eyes shut, shuffling back underneath the blankets that were roughly pulled form her head. "Mum! God."

"Breakfast is on. Beans on toast, tomatoes, eggs, bacon, everything you want."

Averey made a sound that was a combination of a whine and a groan when Ellie attempted to remove the blankets from around her. Wiggling further down into the recesses of her blankets, Averey curled up into a ball at the end of her bed.

"Ava, I already gave you an extra twenty minutes this morning. It's time to get up. You know you can't be late for work and you still need to eat."

"God forbid I miss hammering in nails, or inputting data into a spreadsheet," Averey mumbled. The corner of her mattress sank when Ellie sat down, tilting her forward slightly. "I have another 30 minutes to get ready. That's plenty of time."

"What if I told you your P.O. was at the door?"

Averey made a face and poked her head out from under her blankets, squinting up at her mom. "I haven't had a surprise visit since June," she replied. Whether it was at her home or place of employment in Central City or Keystone, her probation officer would show up unannounced to ensure that she was following her schedule submitted at the beginning of the week.

Audra never stayed long, and occasionally at Jitters, never ventured inside. At the beginning, she would accept a tour around the home or the work area and confirm that Averey was where she was needed to be. In the event she did extend her stay, it was to take the time to answer questions that Averey or her parents had regarding house arrest. On rare occasions, she would also take the time to alter schedules for special occasions, if it were something she could agree with Averey taking part in.

"Audra always schedules them."

"That's why they call it a 'surprise' visit." Averey hummed, shuffling up the bed, making sure she was still wrapped in her blankets, to rest her head on her mom's thigh, closing her eyes. "Oh, Ava. What's going on?" Ellie started running her fingers through Averey's hair. "This isn't like you. I thought you'd be bouncing off the walls, ready to run out of here. It's not too long now."

"Mmhmm." A few months ago, Averey would have been excited and chomping at the bit for the day for her ankle monitor to come off. The closer she got to being released from house arrest, and the more she saw things developing on the metahuman side of things, the more her stomach churned. She may be able to freely go wherever she wanted, but there were still stipulations to her probation.

With her prior experience in jail and on a year of probation, she had quickly come to realize how much she didn't want to go through it again. However, the schedules and knowing what she would be faced with day after day had grown to be normal to her. Having all of that stripped away from her, was, admittedly, a scary thought.

A very scary thought.

Seeing Eddie last night, supposedly – although Barry having seen him too was a comfort, had really sunk in just how cut off from the world she was. That made her think of her dad and how he was to be released soon. If she thought life had gone on without her, that was increased at least a hundred times over with him. Three months of semi-isolation didn't compare to over 15 years of it. Henry was one of the only people that would have an idea of what she was going through, and she was the same for him. To not be able to be there for his release was also a heavy weight on her mind.

"What's wrong?" Ellie pressed. "Talk to me. We haven't talked in a while. Not really."

"I'm just tired, mum," Averey replied.

"Of what?"

"I'm tired of all of this. Being stuck here, having so many rules, and needing to schedule my every move." Ellie tucked Averey's hair behind her ear, the move pulling a smile to Averey's face. It faded a moment later. "I'm also anxious about not having that structure. I stayed in Keystone for a year because I was too worried to do anything. I just counted down the days of probation."

"You made it through," Ellie said, "you can't forget that. That's an accomplishment."

 _And look at where I am now._ Averey just pulled the blankets tighter around her, curling her knees closer to her chest. She rubbed her face into her mom's thigh, much like she did when she was a little girl.

"And you're not alone this time. You have Daniel and I here with you," Ellie continued in the wake of Averey's silence. "That's different compared to last time. Not only that, but you have Barry, and the other friends you've made in Central City. It's not the same."

"You're right, it's not," Averey said, trying to mask the bitterness in her tone, with an uptick to her vocal tone. And it wasn't. "They didn't leave you to fend for myself, I just pushed them away."

"I can't say I'm that surprised," Ellie said. Averey opened one eye. Eyebrows coming towards each other, she frowned. "You've done the same thing since you were a little girl. You'd find a reason to be by yourself. I'm sorry to say it's nothing new with you."

"Oh."

"I just could never understand why you do that."

It was a toss up between protecting herself or protecting everyone else: whichever answer fit the situation at the time. Her dad, Daniel, and her Keystone "friends", and even Eddie, they all left. What was the point of having people get close if they were just going to leave?

"The difference here, though," Ellie said in the wake of Averey's silence, "is that your friends keep coming back around. Maybe not all of them, right" Averey hummed. "That's what's worrying you most of all, isn't it? That you don't have Eddie here to help you out of a jam?" Averey pressed her lips together.

"I never had to think about losing any of my mates, mum," Averey replied. It had been too long since she had talked about him. She pictured his handwriting on the box of cupcakes all over again. There was no way Eddie could be back. And if he was, why didn't he show himself until now? "Not like that. I couldn't even go to his bloody memorial or anything."

She had endured a restless night between trying to come up with any explanation, and nightmares involving S.T.A.R. Labs and a shape-shifting Everyman. All the while, in the background, Eobard's harsh whispered words repeated, incomprehensible, but bone chilling all the same. A loud gun-shot would cut through his words.

"Honey, no one expected anything like a black hole, or whatever they called it, to open up above the city. Eddie was brave to try and continue doing what he knew best when it happened." Averey swallowed thickly. It was a lot easier to let everyone know he had passed away while trying to evacuate the downtown area than to let everyone know the truth.

"I know I didn't really get the chance to know him," Ellie said quietly. "But, if he would do as much as he did to help you out, then he was a good person in my book. And I am forever grateful." She gently cupped Averey's face, motioning for her to sit up and look her in the eye. "But you _can't_ keep relying on someone else to help you out of a problem. I never raised you to be that way. And I know Daniel didn't, either."

"I know, mum," Averey replied. "I tried to do it on my own but…" She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know—I don't want to talk about this, mum."

"You never do. Ava, it's been over six months—"

Averey slapped her hands over her ears. "Because I don't. I don't feel like it. I don't want to." She pulled her face away from her mom's hands. "God! Stop pushing it, mum!" Throwing her blankets off her legs, she adjusted her shorts and tank top, striding to her closet door. "You wanted me up. I'm up. I'll change and be down in a minute."

Plastic hangers clattered against the metal rod of the closet, Averey was pulling at her clothes so hard. If it wasn't her mom, or even Daniel, she was relying on Eddie to help her out of a jam. Who was she going to rely on now, except herself? Her past track record wasn't the best regarding handling things on her own. But, she couldn't avoid it. It was all a part of growing up.

And her mom was right, her friends were coming around the house more often. Sure, nowadays was mainly due to whatever metahuman issue they were having at the time, or to give them some mind busting news like Dr. Wells's confession, but it was something. She just needed to remind herself that they would still be there when she was finally able to leave her house.

Feeling her mom's hands on her shoulders, Averey tensed for a moment before relaxing. Ellie placed a kiss on the back of her head. "No matter what, Daniel and I are proud of you," she said quietly. "We love you very much. None of this has changed our opinions about you. Of course, it's not something I had envisioned for you and your future, but that doesn't mean we care about any less. It shouldn't mean you care about yourself any less, either." Ellie gently squeezed Averey's shoulders. "Please remember that."

"I'll try."

"And, Averett," Holding a selected set of clothes, Averey turned around to face her mom, "You need to talk to someone. You need to sort out your anger." Averey's lips parted but no sound came out. "Daniel and I just want to listen and understand what you're thinking and feeling. Until then…" Ellie wet her lips with her tongue. "You're not the only one out of your friends that lost someone. Reach out to them. It could help."

"Mhm."

"Damn it, Averett!" Ellie slapped her hand on the closet door. "Just because you're hurting, doesn't give you the right to hurt anyone else!" She grabbed onto Averey's elbow with one hand, using the other to turn her daughter's head to look her in the eye. "We're all trying. I can't force you to accept it, but at least you can respect that everyone one of us, have been trying. Stop treating us all like we're useful until you decide we're not."

Averey let out an annoyed huff, removing her elbow from her grip. "Mum!" She tossed her clothes onto her bed. "I'm not hurting anyone!" The end of her sentence nearly didn't make it out of her mouth, seeing the eyebrow raised, "Are you sure about that?" look from her mom. Using her hands to smooth her hair back from her face, she sucked her lips into her mouth before stepping forward to give her mom a hug.

Her shoulders dropped, her knees buckled, and she felt even more tired, physically, mentally, and emotionally, then she had over the past six months. As it flowed out of her arms, she squeezed her mom that much tighter.

"Oh, honey." Ellie smoothed her daughter's hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Come on. A spot of breakfast will do you good. Everything looks better with on a full stomach." She smiled. "You'll see."

After a quick shower, and changing into her clothes, Averey hurried into the kitchen to take her spot at the breakfast table. Ellie set a plate of food down in front of her and she dug in. With her other hand, she took her cell phone as it was offered to her by Daniel – she could have it returned in the mornings after submitting it. "Cheers," she managed to get out around a mouthful of food.

"Barry's been trying to get in touch with you," Daniel explained as he stepped over to the ringing phone. Using her thumb, Averey unlocked her phone, and started going through her missed notifications. "He texted you lightning bolts." Averey looked up in alarm. Partially at the incessantly ringing landline, and partially at the text message content. It was a lot of lightning bolts. A wedge of tomato sliding past her lips and landed back on her plate. "I didn't snoop, it came up in the preview window." He turned his attention to the phone. "Kingston residence, may I ask whose calling?" Daniel removed the phone from his ear, making a face at it. "They hung up. That's the third one this morning."

Averey let out a sigh of relief, putting her attention back on her cell phone. Wiggling her shoulders, she took in deep breaths of air, trying to calm herself down. She could just tell, one of those calls was going to be her probation officer. Somehow, she found out about her extra visitor. That would be it…

"Someone probably just realises they have the wrong number," Ellie replied from the stove.

"Three times?" Daniel asked, reaching for his abandoned mug of coffee.

"It's possible," Averey replied. Focus back on her phone, she gripped her plate, holding it up in the air. When nothing happened, she let out a whining sound, waving it in the air, never removing her eyes from the text message she was composing.

"I just made you a big portion," Ellie said, taking her plate. "You've been eating a lot more lately." She opened a package of sausages and dropped a few into the skillet. "I'm going to run out of food."

"I'm starving," Averey protested. "Reckon I could eat three plates, easy. Four tops."

"You don't have enough time for that this morning." Daniel tapped his fingernails against his coffee mug. "We have to be out the door in ten." He grit his teeth when the phone rang again. "And I don't have any time for _that_ either." Sighing, he grabbed the phone again. "Kingston residence, may I ask whose calling?" Eyebrows lifting, he held the phone out towards Averey. "It's for you. Your P.O."

"Oh, god." Averey dropped her fork and her phone to the counter and took the phone. She swallowed as she pressed the phone to her ear. _Calm down, calm down, calm down._ A hand went to her chest – a quick distance to her mouth if her stomach suddenly decided to expel everything in it. "Hello, it's Averey," she said into the phone.

"Just calling in for a morning check," Audra said into the phone, getting straight to business. "We agreed that your curfew would be extended last night when you handed in your weekly schedule, but I wanted to make sure you're still on schedule today."

"We'll be out the door in ten minutes."

"Good, good, right on schedule." The sound of shuffling paper filled the phone. "I'm also calling to remind you to come to our downtown office at the end of the week to meet with me. Congratulations, it's one of your final meetings with me."

"Thanks," Averey said quietly. She gave her parents a thumb's up. Ellie smiled in relief, moving to stand behind Daniel, grabbing his shoulders. Daniel placed his hands over hers, tilting his head back to kiss Ellie on the underside of her jaw. "Um, did you hear anything else about the investigation into my pervious ankle monitor?"

"We'll discuss that at your meeting with me," Audra replied. Averey frowned. No answer was probably not a good sign. "I'm also calling to remind you that while it is good news that your father will be released from Iron Heights, you do not have permission to be there in person to bring him home. I'm sorry, but, as a reminder, Iron Heights is one of your restricted areas, and this was not submitted in enough time for clearance to attend."

"I didn't know about it ahead of time, there's no way you can make an exception?" Averey tightly gripped the phone in her hand. "Please?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea," Audra replied. "Considering we just make an extension for you to work late…I do extend well wishes to you and your family."

"Yeah, thanks," Averey replied, "I'll see you soon. Bye." She hung up the phone and handed it back to Daniel. "She was just checking in since she knows dad will be out of Iron Heights soon. I can't go see him when he's released, and I have a meeting at Audra's office downtown by the end of the week. She'll have the results of the investigation into my old monitor."

"I'm sorry," Ellie said with a frown. "This doesn't sound too good, does it?"

"Yeah, well, I didn't expect to be able to go anyway, remember?" Averey replied with a shrug. "The important thing is that dad's getting out." She retrieved her fork and started back in on her breakfast. "And there's only seven days left of house arrest." Ellie snapped her fingers and rushed to the calendar to cross off the day. "Just one week."

"So, we better not be late," Daniel said, pushing his coffee cup away from him. "Grab whatever you need, Aviator, and I'll meet you at the car."

Averey quickly finished her breakfast and cleared up before kissing Ellie on the cheek. "Thanks, mum," she said with a soft smile. "For everything." Elbows in soapy warm sink water, Ellie just smiled and winked in response. Her phone vibrated against the table. "Oh, that's Barry. I better get it. See you later, mum. Have a good day."

"You too, Ava."

"Hey, Barry."

"Finally," Barry's out of breath tone reached her ear, "I've been trying you for a while."

"Sorry, mate, just got my phone back," Averey replied as she navigated towards the front door. Reaching the steps, she lowered herself to sit on the top stair, pulling her shoes towards her. "I have limited phone and internet access. I have to hand everything over at 10 every night. I thought I told you that. What's up? And why are you winded?"

"I was pacing, quickly, waiting for you to call me back. I just found out," Barry said, "Dad's getting out today."

"No way!" Cradling her phone against her ear, Averey pulled on her shoes. "You sure?"

"Yeah, Joe just told me. If Captain Singh already thought I was behind on work…I don't know when exactly, but he's getting out today. For real." Averey could hear the wide smile in his voice. "I was calling to see if you could come with to pick him up. Joe and Iris said they'd go, but they also said it'd be better if we had time alone, so…"

"I just got a call from my P.O., I can't," Averey said with a sigh. "I'd do a bunk if I could, right. But, I'm only a week out."

"Done a what?"

"A bunk. Ran away. Escape." She clicked her tongue. "Might want to bring a book along. Or five, or five hundred depending on how fast you can read. Even if you get there at a designated time, it'll still take a while before dad is released."

"More paper work?" Barry asked with a groan. "It's already taken them this long. You don't think anything's wrong, do you? You're the only one who's gone through a release process. What do I need to know? What should I do?"

Averey's lips twitched, but she nodded her head even though Barry couldn't see her. She couldn't wait for Henry to be out of Iron Heights, to take those first steps in public knowing he didn't have to go back. It was a freeing feeling, but it was weird at the same time. Life didn't stop in the outside world. And it didn't slow down once you were part of it, again. Three months in jail took her a bit to adjust back to life outside, she couldn't imagine what it would feel like after over 15 years in prison.

"Knowing dad's case," she said, "I can only think they'd release him as late as possible to cut down on any media presence. It's Sunday, right? This has front page news written all over it, they'll be waiting outside Iron Heights for the first picture of him. _And_ you." Barry hummed. "But they _have_ to have him released by midnight tonight. He'll be dropped off at the nearest bus station if he doesn't have a ride."

"I'll pick him up," Barry said, "Joe's already said he'd lend me his car."

"Ok, he won't have a lot on him, just everything in his possession when he went in," Averey explained. "Bring him a change of clothes. Some from Joe if you don't want to buy anything new."

"Why?"

"Like I said, he'll only have everything he went in with returned to him. I don't think he'll be keen to wear those clothes again."

"Right, right, good idea."

"I just recently put some money into his commissary, but I'd put some more in before he's actually released. The money he has in commissary he'll get mailed back to him in a check. That way, he could have some money on hand if it takes a while for him to get access to his bank accounts again. Otherwise, call Iron Heights yourself to make sure that dad's being released today. It doesn't hurt to make double sure.

"Since it's Iron Heights and not Keystone Regional you'll be waiting in an area across the street or close by. You may be there alone or with anyone else who is meeting a loved one there. It's ok to feel awkward, and to want to keep to yourself. Just try and keep calm and be patient. There could be a lot of other people being released or transferred to other facilities. But, they will get to him eventually. When he is out, get dad something to eat straight away. It may have been a while since he had anything to eat, and it sure is a long time since he's had anything decent.

"Oh! Don't be surprised if he sleeps a lot his first day out, and for a while afterwards, right? He may have been notified of his release days before and have been moved around, or constantly told he'll be out soon so he's not getting anything to eat, and his anxiousness would more than likely have kept him awake. And try not to take him around a lot of people. Just ease him into it. Most importantly…just give him a hug; as long as either of you can stand, and then even longer than that. OK?"

Barry let out a short, quiet, chuckle. "Ok," he replied. "I think I got it." Averey could hear his lips flapping together as he pushed a breath of air out of his mouth. "Oh, man. Ok, ok. Thanks for talking with me. I don't know who else I could have asked."

"Yeah. No worries."

"I'll call you as soon as I have dad with me."

"Great. My schedule hasn't changed today, so I'll be done with work and back home by four." She removed her phone from her ear and checked the time. She had five minutes left. Glancing over her shoulder, she checked to make sure her parents weren't coming up behind ear. "I saw all the lightning bolts in your text, I thought it was something speed related."

"Oh, no, sorry. I mean, I couldn't find an alarm emoji…I was typing too fast. I just thought you'd knew it was urgent and get back to me faster."

"Like…in a flash?" Averey asked. She smiled at Barry's sarcastic, "ha, ha" on the other end of the line. Retrieving her wallet, keys, and sunglasses from the shelf and hooks, she stepped out onto the porch. She closed the door behind her with her foot and placed her sunglasses on her nose. "It's like that flash light thing you did for Atom Smasher. If you need me for anything, just text me that, and I'll answer ASAP."

"The only thing I need from you right now is to focus on finishing your house arrest with no issue."

Averey snorted and bounded down the stairs. "This coming from the guy who snuck into my flat, risking it?" she asked.

"And you could help by not telling Iris about seeing Eddie," Barry continued, bypassing her comment. "Or Jay. At least not until we've figured out whether he was actually there. And to figure out if what Jay is telling us is true."

"Mate, do you not remember what happened the last time you kept something this big from Iris? She blew up like a bloody volcano." She rounded the front of the truck in the driveway. "And that was just you not telling her you were the Flash."

"I'm not just going to let anyone waltz in off the street and get into S.T.A.R Labs to do god knows what."

"If Cisco keeps working on S.T.A.R. Labs' security system you will," Averey said deadpan.

"I'm just being careful," Barry replied, sounding like he was trying not to laugh. "And I want you to be, too. Speaking of which, have you heard anything else from Melanie?"

"No, not since I saw her at the mall." Averey used her hand to unlock the truck door and climbed into the passenger seat. "She's always the one that finds me. I have no idea where she is at one time except she could maybe be in Keystone or Gotham."

"Ok, just let me handle it," Barry said.

"Too late," Averey replied. Slamming the door behind her, she kicked her feet up onto the dashboard. "I could barely sleep last night so I emailed Felicity to see if she could find anything out about this 'Network' that Melanie had mentioned." She spun her keys around her fingers. She could still feel her eyes burning a little from the sudden blast of light in the dark room – and again from this morning. If anyone had seen her, they'd think she was allowing herself some time to (finally) grieve. "I also e-mailed Eddie's parents to see if I could meet with them, too." Barry groaned. "I just want to help. You shouldn't be so worried, I'm sticking with things in the 'slow lane' so to speak. They could be sitting on information."

"I know," Barry replied with a sigh. "But, you will seriously be helping me out by staying out of it. Please, just focus on finishing your house arrest." He took Averey's sigh as confirmation. "I'll let you go. I know you need to head out."

"Yeah, like, right now," Averey replied. "Thanks for the call. I'll have my phone on me all day." Sighing through her nose, she ended the call. Leaning into the driver's side of the truck, she slammed her fist into the car horn with her left hand, throwing her phone to the floor with her right.

Caitlin was never one to daydream or zone out through any sort of meeting, especially as one of the newer hires at Mercury Labs. She would always be prepared, read and re-read the meeting notes beforehand, carefully articulate her own thoughts, and jot down impeccable notes as the meeting went on. Now, she often found herself snapping back to join the conversation, listening to get cues on what the topic was before giving her two cents.

It was hard to keep her mind on Mercury Labs when it was always drifting across the city to S.T.A.R. Labs. And the people inside it. And the person in the Pipeline. Who was Jay Garrick? Could he really be trusted? And most importantly, how could she prove that he was, in fact, telling the truth. There were numerous tests she could run on him, but which would be the best ones?

"Dr. Snow, do we have an update on your research?"

Caitlin dropped her pen onto her notebook and frantically looked over her swirled handwriting. Maybe she had written something down when it looked like she was checked out? Glancing over at Dr. McGee out of the corner of her eye, she tried to think quickly. What was her update? What was she working on? They could always do blood work on Jay, but that wouldn't be enough…

Blood. That's it.

"I have not yet gotten to the stage where I will need to meet with patients willing to help my study," Caitlin explained, swinging her hair back behind her shoulders. "However, I have been approved to create and distribute a survey to those willing to participate. I have yet to hear back regarding whether or not I have been approved for the grant I applied for."

"For those who don't know," Dr. McGee explained, "Dr. Snow is focusing on the topic of multiple sclerosis. She wishes to one day create a process to detect MS through blood work, and to find if it is genetic."

"Amongst other plans, yes," Caitlin agreed with a nod of her head. A few impressed nods went around the room. "I think if we can find any trace of MS in blood, it will not only help get an earlier prognosis, but you can find what to look for in children. That is, of course, if the symptoms appear as early as childhood. Whether symptoms would end up severe or manageable, it will be less stress on the family to make those affected comfortable at an earlier stage of the disease. We could develop devices to enhance mobility as the body breaks down, and more lesions occur on the spinal cord. That is, to make everyday life that much easier for those who are struggling."

The saying always went "If you want something done right, do it yourself" and it certainly applied in this situation. She wouldn't have grown up terrified at the thought of her dad dying if there had been such advancements in this field of study. It was scary watching him change a little bit each more day after day. The pain. The lack of mobility. His fading personality. If there was anything out there like what she wanted to accomplish, it wouldn't have been so hard to watch someone she looked up to be taken from her.

Murmurs of approval went around the room. Caitlin sighed, settling back in her seat as the focus shifted to another employee. Mission accomplished. She didn't know what else anyone was saying. Her mind was already back on S.T.A.R. Labs. _Blood tests will of course show how his overall health, and his glucose levels. Comparing them to Barry's, we're bound to find any similarities or discrepancies._

Flipping the page over in her notebook, she started writing out a list. She made sure to keep half of her thought process on what was going on around her in case he conversation did swing back in her direction. Caitlin Snow only half paying attention. Cisco would get a kick out of that…and probably throw her words back at her. She had to press her lips tightly together to stop herself from suddenly smiling. That had happened on too many occasions when she and Ronnie had first gotten together.

"What are you smiling about, Caitlin?"

"What's the secret, Caitlin?"

"Any reason you're smiling so much?"

All those questions would be asked with a knowing smile. And the occasional eye roll from Hartley Rathaway. It never got any less embarrassing. Especially when her smile was interpreted as being for someone else. This was not the time and place to have something like that happen again.

"Ok, I won't keep you from your work any longer," Dr. McGee announced. Everyone around Caitlin started gathering their belongings. She flipped her notebook shut, seeing her co-worker beside her try and catch a glimpse of her writing out of the corner of his eye. How stupid was she to write about meta-humans and the Flash in such close-knit quarters? Sliding her foot back into the shoe that hung from her big toe, got to her feet. "Dr. Snow, if you could wait behind for a few minutes?"

Caitlin slowly lowered herself back into her seat. "Certainly, Dr. McGee," she replied with a soft smile and a nod. As she watched the other scientists file out of the room, her smile slowly faded. Not even in college did she ever get held back after class without some indication on what the conversation would be about. Dr. McGee's face was just as blank and hard to read as Dr. Wells's could be. Her abdominals tightened.

"Dr. Snow, I wanted to ask you a few questions about your time at Mercury Labs so far," Dr. McGee spoke as soon as the door clicked shut. Caitlin cleared her throat. "You've been doing incredible work since you joined our team."

"Thank you."

"How would you describe your time here so far. What you've seen that Mercury Labs does well; what could it improve upon; things like that."

"Oh, um," Caitlin cleared her throat, "I believe Mercury Labs, in the wake of everything that happened last year, have been doing an incredible job keeping their name out there. As we both know, it's not easy to come back from scandal or controversy, and yet we know the risks as we work in an industry that relies on public attention. Whether it's from the streets, or others in the industry."

Dr. McGee nodded her head. "Of course, while we work to be ahead of other laboratories, it really is a community that relies on working with each other. Mercury Labs especially is a great company because of everyone that works here, from the very bottom to the very top. Everyone has been incredibly professional, warm, and inviting to someone who was coming from such a…well known lab."

"And what it can improve upon?"

"Nothing comes to mind," Caitlin replied. "Work-life balance is great, you can move from a technical role to a management role easily, working solo or even being part of a team easily, everyone employed here wants others to succeed." She tucked her hair behind her ears. "There isn't the feeling that a project is being taken out of your hands and changed through all the steps taken to have it approved. Also, there are great avenues to have your work published."

"I'm glad to hear that Mercury Labs has a lot of opportunities and advantages for you and your work," Dr. McGee commented, "and I have noticed your knack to stay late and continue working. But, I also must bring to your attention that I have noticed you have also been distracted lately."

Clearing her throat, Caitlin sat up straight in her seat, but didn't answer. How could she not be distracted when metahumans were making a resurgence in the city again? Especially with Cisco asking for her advice on what kind of tests to perform on Barry, if not just keeping her updated on what was going on at S.T.A.R. Labs.

She knew he wasn't doing it to try and entice her to return…but it was working a little. Jay arriving at S.T.A.R. Labs had threw everything she knew out of whack. When it came down to it, nothing compared to the daily changes that a life tracking down and studying metahumans had provided her. Furthering her studies with multiple sclerosis was something she always wanted to do in her life but doing the same thing day in and day out, all on her own, was getting a little stale.

"I apologize," she said, "I really do enjoy working here."

"However?" Dr. McGee prompted.

"However, my mind has been somewhere else," Caitlin replied. Dr. McGee's eyebrows lifted, but she didn't say a word. "I have started to fall behind on my work. I'm trying to juggle two very important things in my life, but I think I have to make a decision one way or the other."

"I see."

Caitlin closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of air through her nose. "I will have my two weeks' in by the end of the day," she replied.

"No," Dr. McGee said, shaking her head back and forth. "With all due respect, Dr. Snow, Mercury Labs had been recruiting you since you graduated from university." Unfolding her hands, she pressed the tips of her index fingers to the table top. "I understand it has always come down between choosing to work with Harrison Wells and myself. I want to make sure you are making the right decision for yourself. You have until the beginning of the next week to decide if this decision is really what you want."

"Dr. McGee, I appreciate that," Caitlin said, "but, I can't ask you to extend that offer towards me."

"Caitlin." Blinking in surprise, Caitlin's words died on her lips. Dr. McGee's smooth, yet firm tone warned her to pay attention. Dr. McGee was silent for a moment, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she regarded Caitlin. "I understand that things are and will continue to grow increasingly difficult for you if you try to continue juggling both workloads. Especially if one is more… _unusual_ than the other." Caitlin's lips parted at Dr. McGee's words. No sound came out.

"Given your experiences, I was hoping to bring you on as sort of a consultant with our Metahuman Institute. Nothing is set in stone, of course, however we have been, as you may know, working on a project to replicate the event of the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator to understand how, exactly, the city had changed that night. As a result, we can find out how to set it right."

"With the Institute, we hope to learn enough about Metahumans to provide resources for them and for the city. Because of what happened downtown, we want to create and test building materials to withstand more structure damage than the materials that are being used right now. As I said, we want to understand how certain people have been altered to gain these abilities, and in finding those alterations, understand how to suppress it in the event those subjects are childlike, or, upon their request, remove them. And that is just scratching the surface We will be working closely with many sectors around the city to allow this to come to fruition."

"With all due respect, Dr. McGee, I couldn't…" Caitlin trailed off. Would she be giving away any secrets from S.T.A.R. Labs? Would she be betraying her friends if she were to take whatever knowledge she had of metahumans from the past year to the institute? On the other side, could she really work with Mercury Labs and be expected to keep information under wraps from her friends? "There are too many variables that I do not have the answer for to join you. I'm sorry. I do believe it is at my best interest to resign from my position. I will continue all the projects I have started, of course, and I will take the hit regarding what I had just gotten approved and the revocation of the grant I had applied for. I know the risks I am taking and what hits I could take to my career. But, my heart isn't fully in this, despite the reasons behind my pursuit in my research."

Dr. McGee clicked her tongue. Her nostrils flared, and she nodded her head. "I understand," she replied. "I will accept your letter of resignation, at the beginning of the next work week."

"Thank you." Caitlin got to her feet and offered her hand to her former boss. Dr. McGee tightly clasped Caitlin's hand when she shook it.

"Thank _you_ , Dr. Snow," Dr. McGee replied. "Your hard work hasn't gone unnoticed. If at any point you look to work anywhere else, I will not hesitate to write you a glowing reference." She cracked a smile. "And I do mean that. Between your ambition, your studies, and your work between S.T.A.R. Labs and here, you will be welcomed anywhere."

"Thank you. Thank you, so much."

Retrieving her lab coat from the back of her chair, Caitlin stared at her name for a moment before pulling it on. She gathered her belongings in her arms and left the conference room. She was halfway back to her office when she stopped to lean against the wall. _Relax, Caitlin,_ she thought to herself, _you're doing what you need to do. S.T.A.R. Labs needs your help. You can't just keep going giving Cisco tips and hope it works out._

Reaching deep into the pocket of her coat, she pushed herself off the wall and accessed her e-mail. After setting up an away status to her account (citing a long lunch break), she pressed her thumb into the number two on her phone's keypad. She didn't have to wait long for her call to be answered.

"Hey, you're on speaker," Cisco said as soon as he answered the call. "What's up?"

"Can I meet you over at S.T.A.R. Labs for lunch?" Caitlin asked. "I really need to talk to you about something. I can pick up Big Belly Burger on the way."

"You have no idea how good that sounds right now," Cisco said with a sigh. "I've just spent the last hour dumpster diving for all the sand I dumped out the other day. Do you know how hard it is to separate sand from, oh I don't know, everything?"

"Wait, what? What are you talking about?"

"I'll explain when you get here. Get my usual, please. Extra-"

"Extra bacon and no pickles," Caitlin said, heading towards the elevator, "I know. Thanks, Cisco." After a quick stop at the nearest Big Belly Burger, Caitlin made her way to S.T.A.R. Labs and made a beeline for the Cortex. "I got some extra food for the metas in the Pipeline. I don't know if you've fed them yet, so…"

"Always thinking about other people," Cisco said with a smile, taking the bags of food from her. He closed his eyes and smelled deeply. "Mmmm. Salt. Greasy foods. I love that smell." He motioned for her to sit down and she instantly took her old seat. "What's going on?"

"I just told Dr. McGee I'm putting in my two weeks' notice," Caitlin blurted out.

Cisco, whose arm was buried deep in a large bag holding the fast food, paused and stared at her. His eyes were wide, lips parted slightly. She could see the corners of his lips tightening, and his mouth formed an O, a tactic he used to stop himself from smiling.

"Really?" he asked. He cleared his throat and settled back in his chair. Removing a French fry from the back, he popped it into his mouth.

"I need you to tell me that this wasn't a bad idea," Caitlin replied.

"Whether or not you think it's a bad idea," Cisco replied with a shrug. He started passing out the food, separating what was going to the metahumans in the Pipeline. "I'll stand beside your decision. No matter what. I'll be right back."

A carton of French fries clutched in her hand, Caitlin rose from her chair and crossed the room to her medical station. Everything was in disarray. Drawers were partially opened, stacks of paper lined the desks. All she wanted to do was to get in there and put everything back to where it belonged. The room was just as cluttered as her mind was at the moment. She turned away from the room to give herself some reprieve.

"What makes you so worried about wanting to come back?" Cisco asked as he came back into the Cortex. He quickened his pace and jumped into his desk chair, sliding across the room. "You know we couldn't have gotten through Atom Smasher without you."

"Who up and quits their job, a great job, they've been working at for only six months?" Caitlin asked. She licked the salt from her fingers and threw her hand into the air. "Do you know how crazy that is?"

"Growing up, I watched my mom take job after job after job to provide for Armando, Dante, and I when dad was gone on long drives," Cisco said, starting to spin in a circle. His hair lifted off his shoulders, flying around him. "So, I don't think it's crazy. You have to do what's best for yourself and those you care about." His chair slid towards the table, and he put out his hand, pushing himself away again. "Why did you leave S.T.A.R. Labs in the first place? Ronnie, of course."

"Of course. But, it wasn't just that." Caitlin grabbed a couple of French fries and shoved them into her mouth, giving her time to think. "It…um…" Was she really going to say this? Licking the salt from her lips, she resigned that, out of everyone, she could, of course, tell Cisco. "I, uh, I thought I was pregnant."

Cisco used his feet to stop himself from spinning. " _What?"_ he asked. He moved to stand and immediately fell back into his seat. "Are you serious? Cait, why didn't you say anything?" He put his hand in the air. "Of course, it's your body, and you're allowed to tell whomever you want about yourself whenever you're comfortable."

"Thanks," Caitlin said with a hint of a smile. She sat back down in her chair and Cisco pulled himself over to her with his feet. His eyebrows were angled towards each other in a combination of concern and concentration. "I wasn't—it didn't happen. I took an at home test, and went to the hospital and…" She lifted her hand in a shrug and dropped it down on her thigh. "To me, it was another reminder that I had lost him again, and that I had lost S.T.A.R. Labs. "And I wasn't actually pregnant. The offer from Mercury Labs came at, what seemed to be the right time." She was silent for a moment and swallowed thickly.

"I felt guilty that he stayed in Central City for me, guilty that he could do whatever he could to protect the city, and we couldn't figure out how to close the singularity even though it's what we do every day. We get through the toughest things, but I didn't even have an idea on what could close it. Then, I started thinking that if I did have a child, I would be raising him or her all on my own, and that there could have been the chance that was thinking if I was, there was the chance that he or she could have MS like my dad. I don't even know if I could have it, and there's still years left for me to realize if I do and…it was all just too much at one time. I needed to get away from it all."

Sniffing, she wiped away a tear that slid down her cheek.

"Oh my god," Cisco whispered, reaching for the small pile of napkins. He held it out to her and Caitlin dabbed it against her cheek. "Sorry, it smells like French fries."

"That's ok," Caitlin laughed, crushing the napkin in her hand. "You know I didn't mean to abandon you and Barry. If you guys will have me back, I'll—"

"Done," Cisco said, waving his hand in the air. "Of course, we'd have you back, Caitlin. Of course! We've missed you." He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Between you and me, I never took you off S.T.A.R. Labs' system." He got to his feet, opening his arms for a hug. "Come here."

Caitlin set her French fry carton onto the table and returned his hug…only to pull away and slap his hand when she realized he was reaching for her French fry carton. "Cisco!"

"What?" Cisco asked with a smile. He talked around the bite of food clenched between his teeth. "If you want things to go back to normal around here, you have to get used to me taking some of your food." His smile widened when she rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Hey, I won't say anything to anyone else. Ok?"

"I know." Caitlin gave a smile of thanks before she clasped her hands together. "What to do first. I could straighten up my office, get started on some of the tests on Jay. I wrote a list of ideas during a meeting this morning."

"Orrrr," Cisco said, stressing the word, "you can sit down, eat, and relax. You're back now, we've got plenty of time to do it all."

"I can do both," Caitlin insisted. "I just want to get back into this while I'm here. We can do blood tests for sure, that will take some time to go through. Have you gotten any blood from Jay?"

"No, not yet." Cisco shook his head. "I've been preoccupied with collecting sand for Barry. Oh yeah, the metahuman he was fighting the other night was made of sand. He wants to do some tests on the samples I can get."

"Ok, I can help you with that. But, I need you to get blood from Jay as soon as possible, and to call Professor Stein down here," Caitlin said as she crossed one leg over the other. "If we can deduce anything from the results from any of the tests we run, it'll be good to have him here." She rubbed her chin. "Have we gotten any blood from Barry, lately? It doesn't hurt to do a check up on him. Last I saw him, I only checked his vitals, and the healing process of any contusions he got."

"I took some after he got back from fighting Atom Smasher," Cisco said with a nod of his head. He grinned, looking almost downright giddy, shaking his head from side to side. "Just can't stay away, can you?"

"It's my job to help people," Caitlin replied. "I could never give that up."

"Team Flash is back, baby!" Cisco punched the air with his fists. "Woohoo!" Spinning himself in a circle, he kicked the air with his legs.

As they ate, they talked about what they had missed about each other over the past few months. Cisco filled her in on his work with the C.C.P.D., his lament over not getting a badge for it, and how everything at S.T.A.R. Labs had been run since after the singularity. Caitlin couldn't reciprocate as much given the confidentiality agreement she had to sign upon employment at S.T.A.R. Labs, but it just felt good being in the same room as her friend again.

Once the food was all consumed, and she made quick work of cleaning up her space, she started examining a small sample of Barry's blood. "After work," she explained to Cisco as she gazed back and forth from one microscope slide to another, "I can come back and start setting up the tests to run on Jay. I can only be on a lunch break for so long."

"It's not eating you up inside even a little bit that you're cheating on your job for this? I mean, that's nothing compared to a long lunch break, but…"

Caitlin removed her gaze from her microscope and glared at Cisco's smile of amusement. He put his hands up defensively, taking a step away from her. She put her eye back to her microscope and sucked in a breath of air. "What the…?"

"What is it?" Cisco asked form over her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know yet," Caitlin replied, removing her eye from her microscope. She rubbed at her eye with palm and frowned. "But, there's something different about Barry's blood."

* * *

Henry paced back and forth in the small cell, clutching papers tightly to his chest. His stomach growled, but he ignored it. Just a deep lungful of the air outside would be enough to satisfy his hunger to just get out of the four walls and be with his son.

He never thought he'd see this day arrive. He had dreamt of it on numerous occasions, only to snap back to reality and recognize the recurring nightmare it was. Nothing stripped away your hope more than dreaming what life is like outside the four gray walls only to come to the realization that you would be stuck there for the rest of his life.

Even meeting with Joe and Cecile Horton, a district attorney, one evening at Iron Heights felt like a dream. The more he thought about it, the more he resigned himself to having made up the encounter.

One minute, he was hunched over an inmate was trying to staunch heavy bleeding with water, crushed up ibuprofen, melted crayons, petroleum jelly, strips of newspaper and plastic wrap. Hiding as far away from any passing correctional officer, he barely heard the call over the loud shouts from the other inmates; "Allen! Bed and baggage."

At first, he didn't respond. He continued to work on the jittery inmate, carefully applying what he passed off as a bandage. "What'd they say?" he asked distractedly, removing a wad of toilet paper from his patient's face. Blood started pooling at the site of his cut and he quickly dipped his finger in the mixture of ibuprofen and petroleum jelly smoothing it over the skin. "Quinn, go check that out."

The rustling of cloth reached Henry's ear as he used his pinky to slather a thin layer of petroleum jelly and ibuprofen powder onto the damaged skin. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Henry regarded the Quinn as he peered out around the sheet. "What's going on?" Once the clear jelly was smoothed on, he reached for a strip of newspaper and dipped it in the cup of water settled on the rim of the toilet to his left.

"C.O." Quinn replied. "Man, hurry up. I think they're coming this way."

"I would get this done quickly if Robbins wasn't moving so much," Henry replied, dipping the wet newspaper into the colored mixture in the second cup. Pinching it between his forefinger and thumb, he slowly pulled it between his fingers to remove the excess jelly and pressed it against Robbins's face. Robbins pulled a face, twisting away from Henry. "Stop moving!"

"Hurry up," Robbins groaned, writing on the bed. "Come on, man." Henry quickly finished up the bandage by covering the newspaper with the blue gel and sealed it with a tightly applied a strip of plastic wrap over top. "Hurry, hurry."

"And you're done," Henry said, climbing to his feet. His knees, which ached from how long he knelt on the hard floor, creaked and popped as he got to his feet. "Dump everything. _Don't touch the bandage._ Keep it there for about a day, and then remove it. You also need to let it air dry."

"Go it, got it," Robbins replied, dumping the cups into the toilet.

Henry quickly washed his hands in the sink and slapped at his thighs to dry them. Quinn yanked down the sheet covering the cell door and threw it onto his bed on the top bunk. Robbins scraped as much of the leftover jelly into the toilet before tossing the empty cups into the sink.

Meanwhile, the shouts outside of the cell grew more raucous.

"Allen. ALLEN, THEY'RE CALLING FOR YOU!"

"Come on, Al, get out here, man!"

Henry grabbed handfuls of his jumpsuit to finish drying his palms as he stepped out into the general area. As soon as he did, he was grabbed by the shoulders, arms, and jumpsuit and roughly pulled forward towards the correctional officer that was making his way through the crowd.

"There you are," the officer said with a frown, "I called you two times, Al."

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you," Henry replied.

"Lucky for you, this is the last time I'm going to be calling you," the officer responded, "bed and baggage. Let's go." The officer turned on his heels and took a couple of steps before he realized Henry wasn't following him. "Come on, Al. You're getting out."

"Out?" Henry repeated. Then he was being jostled, his hands shaken, clapped on the back, and cheered on by the other inmates crowding around him. He barely felt his legs move as he walked over to his cell and gathered his belongings. His leftover food was handed out, books were snatched up, and promises to enjoy life outside were made.

After leaving the cell block, he turned over his bedding, got to change into a new set of clothes, and was brought down to an area to reclaim his belongings. Here he was now, waiting for the chance to finally walk out the doors and never look back. One by one the other inmates being released, or transported to another prison, were all called before him. It was comforting to have others in the same boat as him, but at the same time, he was happier in the cell all alone.

Henry stopped pacing and walked back to the corner he had claimed for himself since he first arrived in the holding cell. The paper bag at his feet crunched as he secured it between himself and the wall. He wasn't going to let it out of his sight.

It held everything he didn't want to lose and never thought he'd get back. Most importantly was his license. Despite it being far past expired, just seeing his name on the plastic card nearly caused him to choke up.

He was no longer just an inmate number, he was Henry Allen again.

"Allen." Henry tore his gaze away from the window to face the officer that unlocked and opened the door. She frantically waved her hand, beckoning him forward. "Let's go, right now. Hurry up."

Henry grabbed his bag and clutched it tightly in his hand, following her out of the cell, and down halls further and further from the front doors. "Um," he said, looking over his shoulder, "excuse me. I thought I was getting out."

"You are," the woman replied.

"But the exit is back there," Henry said, pointing over his shoulder. His stomach churned. This was a mistake. He was going back. He wasn't going to get out at all.

"There are more than one entrances and exits to a prison, Mr. Allen," the officer replied.

Henry nearly tripped. Mr. Allen. It had been a long time since anyone had called him that. Shown him that kind of respect. "I don't understand," he said, rounding a corner. "I'm still getting released, right?"

"Yes, you are. As soon as you walk out these doors, you're a free man. I apologize for the delay in your release, but this is a delicate situation. I know you and your son have been waiting all day, but this way, you will be able to leave without as much of a fuss."

"I'm sorry?"

"The media got word that you were being released sometime soon and have been calling to check what day. As soon as they found out it was today, they've been camping out at the end of the drive waiting to get a good picture of you leaving. Also, there are protestors at the front doors, waiting to tell you exactly what they think. We've been directed to release you out the back. By the way, if you can help it, don't read the newspapers for the next couple of days."

Closing his eyes, Henry let out a sigh of relief. _It's happening. In just a few moments you'll be free._ His heart beat quickened as they walked closer and closer to the end of the hall. They passed through one set of doors, then another, and golden sunlight illuminated his face. Just a pane of glass separated him from the outside world and then—

BEEP!

The door slid open and he took his first steps outside. Closing his eyes, he listened to the birds chirping, and the breeze that whistled in his ears. His shoes crunched over the gravel below his feet, the papers in his arms crinkled and shuffled as he followed the fenced in path towards the street. Car horns honked in the distance, and the rushing of traffic grew louder with each step he took. With one hand, he dragged his fingers against the cool metal of the fence.

And then a lone figure appeared in the distance. Even from far away, he recognized his son. Just as lanky as ever, his gait as he paced looking like he would break out into a run at any second. He suddenly felt the same urge. To run towards Barry, and further away from Iron Heights. He was still on their property, it could still all be a mistake. He could be dragged back at any moment, the doors slamming shut behind him to serve out the rest of his life sentence. He wouldn't be able to see his son again. He'd have to go back to speaking with him over the phone behind glass….

"No more glass," he said to Barry, placing his hand up against the fence. Barry grinned, doing the same. Tears filled Henry's eyes as he curled his fingers around Barry's through the links in the fence.

"No more glass," Barry repeated. The chain fence slid open, Henry dropped his belongings to the ground, and wrapped his arms around his son in the greatest hug he had ever given or received in his life. "Dad." Barry buried his face into Henry's shoulder, openly sobbing. "I can't believe it."

"Neither can I," Henry said, tears sliding down his cheeks. He smoothed down the hair on the back of his son's head. "You always said…" With a shaking hand, he wiped at his cheeks. "Thank you, Barry."

"I tried so har-hard," Barry said, lifting his head from Henry's shoulder. Cheeks and nose bright red, he swallowed thickly and cleared his throat. He said breathlessly, "Hi, dad."

"Hi, Slugger," Henry replied. Barry's face blossomed into a wide smile. Henry's heart soared. It was like all those years ago, after a long day at work, he would come home, and Barry would stop what he was doing and race to meet him at the door. A bright "Hi, dad" would accompany his gap-toothed smile, and for the rest of the night, Henry would listen as Barry regaled him of every single moment of his day.

"You ready to go home?" Barry asked, moving to gather Henry's belongings.

"Oh, definitely." Henry looped an arm around his son's shoulders and allowed him to be guided towards his vehicle. He used his hand to muss Barry's hair. "When did you get so tall? I've seen you sitting down so often…" Upon coming to the car, he stood outside the doors, looking at Barry expectantly.

"It's unlocked, you can get in," Barry said as he opened the rear passenger door. He set Henry's belongings inside and slammed the door shut.

"Oh." Flushing, Henry opened the passenger side door and climbed inside, slamming the door shut behind him. As he settled in his seat, he looked around at the knobs, and buttons, and screens in front of him. The vents for air conditioning he recognized. That was about it. He tapped at the buttons on the screen and jumped when loud music poured out of the speakers. He frantically tapped the on-screen buttons, cycling through menu after menu, frantically trying to turn it down.

"I got it, don't worry," Barry said, removing his phone from his pocket. Henry watched as he slid his thumb down the screen and the music lowered. "Sorry, I forgot my phone was Bluetooth-ed. Did you want to listen to anything specific?"

"Uhhh." Henry tore his gaze away from Barry's phone. "Anything is fine. Just nothing so loud." He chuckled. "You'd think I'd be used to noise by now." Barry's thumbnail clicked as he tapped his phone screen a couple more times. A moment later, mellow music started playing through the speakers. "How's that?"

"It's fine," Henry said as Barry pulled the car away from the curb. "How'd you do that?"

"Oh, my phone is connected to the car," Barry replied, driving the car down the road. "I have all my music on here, so I can just play it through the car's audio system. Here." He held the phone out to Henry. "Change it to whatever you want."

"That's ok," Henry said, turning the phone one way and the other. He frowned, squinting as the screen moved back and forth with each turn. "I'd rather listen to you talk. It's better than talking over the phone."

"Yeah, I agree." Barry loosened and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "So, what do you want to do? Eat? Or relax? Averey said it'd be a good idea to let you do one or the other. We get you situated at the hotel and let you sleep. Or you could eat before you sleep."

"Either is fine." Henry leaned forward in his seat and looked out at everything they passed: the city in the distance, the trees, the cars rushing by, all the colors.

"There's a great sushi place nearby. But, you'll probably want something more filling. Korean Barbecue is pretty good. There's always the Big Belly Burger chain. Or we could stop at the grocery store, and I could make you something at your hotel."

"Son, son," Henry tried to talk over Barry, but he kept talking faster and faster. "Slow down, Slugger." Barry instantly stopped talking. "As long as it's not ramen, I could eat anything. Like pizza. Pizza sounds good. And tacos. Or a rib-eye. A nice burger sounds great, too."

"Whatever it is you want," Barry said with a grin, "I can got get it in a matter of seconds."

"You're going to have to get a lot," Henry said, rubbing his stomach, "because I could eat a whole lot."

"You're on." Looking up the road, Barry's smile faded. "Uh oh."

Henry followed his gaze and felt his grip tighten on the phone in his hands. At the bottom of the hill, he could see many cars parked on both sides of the street. Their drivers were leaning against the car, cameras with long lens attachments in their hands. As Barry drove closer, they were lifted and pointed in their direction.

"Dad, grab the wheel," Barry said.

"What?" Henry asked, keeping his gaze out the window. The photographers crouched down by the side of the road, the cameras lifted to their eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Grab the wheel," Barry replied, unbuckling his seat belt. "Keep the car moving. I'll be right back." Before Henry could say anything else, Barry burst out of the car with a crackle of orange-yellow lightning. In the blink of an eye, all the photographers were not only moved away from the street but stripped of their cameras. As they looked around wildly, Henry carefully guided the rolling car down the street, past the cars, and down to the main street. Barry quickly surged back into his seat in enough time to press down on the brake pedal.

"Wow," Henry breathed, staring at his son. "It's one thing to hear about it, and another to witness it." Barry grinned. "You truly are remarkable, son."

"Thanks, dad." Barry carefully eased onto the street traffic and settled back in his seat. "Well, that's it, dad. You're officially a free man. How does it feel?"

"Indescribable," Henry replied. "I'm sorry, Slugger, I didn't think I'd cause trouble for you already."

"It doesn't matter," Barry insisted, shaking his head. "You're out, that's all that matters."

"It's not going to go away," Henry said, "the press will try hard to get a picture or a quote, or an interview of some sort." He shook his head back and forth. "This is the last thing that I wanted for you. You shouldn't have to go through it again."

"Dad, it's ok," Barry replied. "Really."

Silence fell over the two of them and Henry went back to staring out the window. The first thing he noticed was everyone walking with their heads bent towards their hands. Some weren't even walking and had wheeled light up devices propelling them forward. Rolling down the window, the smell of fried food, sweets from a confectionary shop, and fuel filled his nose.

Henry jumped when the phone in his hands started to vibrate. "Uh, your phone's ringing," he said, gazing at the screen. "It's Averey and whatever FaceTime is."

"Shoot, I was supposed to call her," Barry said, hitting the steering wheel with his hand. "Answer it for me, please?"

"I don't know how to do that," Henry said, his finger hovering over the screen.

"Just press and swipe right to answer it."

"Swipe?" Henry lifted the phone closer to his face. Barry reached his hand over and pressed his finger to the pulsing white button and slid it across the screen. A second later, an image of Averey appeared on screen. He lifted the phone to his ear. "Hi, Averey."

"Hold the mobile out in front of you, dad," Averey said, her voice filling the space. "It's a video call."

"Like this?" Henry extended his arm out in front of him and Averey nodded her head. "Oh, I can see you. Can you see me?"

"Live in HD," Averey replied, lifting her hand in a wave. "Hey, dad. Barry! You were supposed to call me!"

"I forgot," Barry protested, his voice jumping up in pitch. Henry smiled to himself, looking back and forth between his daughter on the phone and his son sitting beside him. "You ok, dad?"

"I'm all right." Henry smiled. "Just taking it all in."

* * *

 **A/N:** Henry's out! Woohoo! I've been waiting to get to this moment for a bit, and I'm excited for you all to see what kind of repercussions it brings to Barry and Averey and how it drives their plots forward. We've also got Caitlin coming back to S.T.A.R. Labs and figuring out something may be up with Barry. The action starts ramping up again with the next chapter.

Thanks for being so patient with the wait. I'm slowly but surely getting back into the writing groove and am hoping to keep up the momentum with this.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Need further explanation on anything? Leave a comment.

-Rhuben

 **Review replies:**

 _Ethan:_ I like writing the many sides of Jay, especially being arrogant all the while trying to hide from everyone his ulterior motives. What I was trying to show with Caitlin was that while she was working with Mercury Labs, her focus was being pulled further away from her projects there. One of my complaints about the show is how quickly they tend to correct some parts, so I wanted to realistically drag it out a bit. Plus, I just love writing Cisco and Caitlin scenes.

 _Gods-own:_ You're on the right path with your guess about Eddie.

 _Guest:_ I had to give Iris more to do. I feel like her character is greatly undervalued at some points of the show. Plus, there's so much that could be done with her journalism, it's a bigger part of this story compared to the show.

 _Babyj:_ I understand how you're feeling about Averey's story. With her not being at S.T.A.R. Labs, and only being able to be in two spots, it does make her feel more like a side story to everything else. As such, this story is about Barry and Averey and it will put more focus on her now that Henry is back around, and her house arrest is at it's end. I'm glad you're enjoying how I'm writing Jay. It's always fun for me to get into the heads of the villains and show different sides of them.


	9. Guilty Until Proven Innocent

**Chapter Nine:** Guilty Until Proven Innocent

* * *

Chewing on his last bite of pizza, Barry didn't blink when the newspaper in his hands was pulled away from him. "I think you gave me a paper cut," he said to Joe who, sat across the table from him, shook his head back and forth.

"You heal fast," Joe said into his mug of coffee. "I thought I told you not to pay attention to this stuff."

Mouth pulled to one side, Barry sighed through his nose.

It had been a long time since he worried about what story the media was writing about his family. Splashed on the front page of the local paper, a picture of his mom and dad from long ago. Smiling brightly unaware of what would happen in the future. The headline: ALLEN WALKS FREE, NEW EVIDENCE SUPPORTS RELEASE stared back at him. _Central City Picture News_ was one of the many papers covering the topic. The _Central City Tribune,_ and _The Central City Citizen_ – which posted numerous articles of Nora's murder – also had front page articles as did the Keystone City papers the _Keystone Kourier,_ the _Keystone Key,_ and the _Morning Bulletin_. No longer able to keep track of how far the news spread, Barry stuck to scouring text for any negative comments.

Unfortunately, Joe knew him well enough to attempt to stop him at every turn.

"You were quoted in it."

"So were a vocal bunch who still thinks Henry should be in Iron Heights." Coffee loudly sipped, Joe dabbed his lips on his napkin before folding up the newspaper. "And even more vocal bunch who still don't believe your story about the lightning even though they know metahumans exist."

It wasn't that long ago that Joe was trapped in the same mindset. Barry was smart enough to know not to bring it up.

"Yeah, well," Barry muttered, "you can't stop me from speed-reading."

"No, but I can stop you from seeking out these newspapers," Joe replied. Barry lifted an eyebrow. A small grin appeared on his face. As if he could stay one step ahead of him. Not with his speed. "I can try to, anyway."

"You're not going to sleep on the couch again, are you?" Barry asked. "Just to make sure I don't leave the house?"

"It stopped you from running out the front door to Iron Heights every chance you got," Joe replied. "Up until Iris taught you how to sneak out the window. And lied for you. And tried batting her eyelashes at me so I wouldn't be angry at the both of you."

"And it worked, too." Barry grinned.

"What can I say?" Iris asked, lowering herself into her abandoned seat at the table. "Barry needed help, and I helped him the best way that I could." Eyebrows lifted, she silently regarded her dad, hiding her smile behind the mug of coffee in her hands. "You always taught us that."

"Don't you go throwing my words back at me," Joe muttered.

"I'm just saying," Iris pressed, "you're a smart man, Joe West."

"Without you, I probably wouldn't be here right now," Barry added, catching sight of the wink that Iris threw in his direction. "Who knows where I would have ended up? Probably on the streets with how often I tried to run out of here, every chance I got."

"That was never going to happen," Joe protested, "not on my watch."

"See? You always had my back." Barry settled back in his seat, draping an arm over the top of his chair. "So did Iris. I don't know where I'd be without the _both_ of you."

"You're more remarkable than you think you are, Barry," Joe replied, "with or without your Flash powers." He settled back in his chair and rubbed his stomach. "Dinner was great, Barry. I just wish Henry decided to join us."

Three days since Henry's release from Iron Heights, and Barry found himself jumping back and forth between both of his father-figures. Only a fool would think that everything would go back to normal so quickly. Henry barely had left his hotel room since his release. Understandably. Even Barry was hyper aware of everyone in the city. Were they looking at him? Pointing? Whispering? It was something he had gotten used to over the years, and learned to tune out and look past, but to have it start up all over again was a strange feeling.

"It was just pizza," Barry said, waving his hand in the air. "Dad said it was one of the things he wanted after he got out so..." Chest swelling as he took in a deep breath of air, Barry stretched his arms over his head. "I ran him over a medium while I was out."

"But, it's Coast City pizza," Iris pointed out. "He's in for a treat." Hand to his mouth, Barry nodded and bit the skin between his forefinger and thumb, lessening the itching sensation of the paper cut he had received. "Hey." Her soft tone instantly caught his attention. "Things are going to take some time. The important thing is that he's a free man. He's out. And you can spend as much time with him as you want."

"Just give it a few more days, a week tops," Joe added. "This will all die down and be forgotten about."

"Joe," Barry said, dropping his hand to the table, "we had to disconnect the phone. It'd be ringing now if we hadn't."

Joe waved his hand in the air. "I've been meaning to get rid of the landline for a while now," he said. "This just gives me an excuse to do it."

"They've been trying to get to you through me at CCPN, too," Iris said with a sigh. She tilted her hand and propped it up with her first. Barry groaned, putting his face into his hands. "I said nothing, of course. And if I did talk about it, it's strictly off the record. But, they really want to hear your side of things, Barry. And your dad's."

"I don't want either of you talking to the anyone about this," Joe warned, speaking over Barry's second, louder, groan. "Ok? Not until we figure out what exactly you'll say. Unfortunately, you're adults now—"

"I'm sorry, dad," Iris interrupted him, feigning an apologetic tone, "but, Barry and I, we had to grow up sooner or later." Sliding his hands back over his hair, Barry cracked a smile.

"Ha, ha." Joe, eyes still focused on his coffee, swirled his drink around in his mug. "You knew exactly what I meant." Iris shrugged. "I can't just whip out my police badge and stick it in the face of anyone that gets too close. Not anymore." His gaze shifted towards the living room windows.

Just like they had periodically since Henry had been released from Iron Heights. Joe wouldn't admit that he was making sure the premises were free of trespassers, potential vandals, or anything like that, but Barry knew that was the reason why. It was the same thing he had done after Barry had moved in with the Wests. Only now, he wasn't trying to hide it so much with a false upbeat voice and fun suggestions. Camping indoors, as far away from windows as possible, Barry remembered specifically.

Joe and Iris would never blame him or his dad, he knew, for the potential of being followed and hounded for a single soundbite of the media. However, Barry never felt more shut in in his entire life. Yes, he could slip past anyone, and leave Central City behind in a fraction of a second, but everyone knew who he was, what he looked like, who he lived with, and where he worked. S.T.A.R. Labs and the West House were the only two places he felt comfortable and relaxed. At the same time, he hated knowing that he was inadvertently putting Joe and Iris in the same position.

 _Just like dad and Averey._ He couldn't begin to imagine what it has been like for them. Barry's stomach twisted, and not in the way it did when he was hungry. Eyeing the stack of empty pizza boxes sitting on the kitchen counter, he debated feigning a need for more just to get away from the silence for a minute. _But, they couldn't do that. It's not fair to them._ When would he stop feeling so guilty about everything?

"I've been looking up ways for Henry to get his medical license back like you asked," Iris spoke up. "It looks to be pretty straight forward: submit fingerprints, submit an application, go to a hearing, have witnesses that has the same degree as him…" She tapped her mug with her fingernails. "The thing is, it could take from six months to a year just to get that hearing."

"It's already been over fifteen years, I don't think it'll hurt him to wait that much longer," Barry said.

"I know, but…" Iris pressed her lips together. "While I was doing my research, I came across something else. Barry, it's been proven that Henry was falsely arrested. He could file a civil suit due to all the time he, and you, had lost. And, I think he'd have a real good shot at winning." Barry stared at her and she continued. "I've looked up a lot of other cases of wrongful imprisonment. A lot of the time, the city did give them the compensation they deserved for it. I was just thinking, with your and Henry's permission of course, if I could pitch an article about the topic to Mr. Larkin."

"Baby, I don't think that's such a good idea," Joe warned. For once, his eyes were off his coffee and the curtain covered windows and were now fastened on Barry.

"It's really not fair, dad," Iris protested. "Because nobody believed Barry that night, Henry lost his family, his reputation, his career. Barry was without his dad for so long, and now that he's back, he has to start over? People have to know this can't keep happening!"

"Iris, I appreciate it," Barry said, "I really do. But, I just want this over with."

"But, Barry…"

"It's like you said, dad's free. It's all that matters. I never fought this hard just to get a payout. I just wanted everyone to know that he didn't kill my mom." He smiled. "Now everyone knows."

"Ok," Iris replied. "Does Henry still plan on coming over on Sunday?"

"He plans on it," Barry replied with a nod. "I think as long as there's not a lot of people, he'll be ok. You've got everything set up?"

"Cake has been ordered, food has been ordered, and Cisco said he'll cover the music," Iris replied, counting off on her fingers. "Caitlin is going to get the balloons and help me put up the decorations."

"Considering I know how excited we'll all be, I'll make sure the neighbors know we're having a get together," Joe said. He put his hands up, palms out. "No details, just that we're having a party. Just in case, I'll call in a favor and ask for a few to patrol the area on occasion."

"And I'll get him here," Barry said.

"And I," Joe said, staring down at his phone, "need to get you down to the station, Barr." Barry gave him an odd look. "That new hire Patty Someth—"

"Spivot," Barry supplied.

"Spivot, just brought in a perp that matches the meta you encountered at the river front," Joe explained, getting to his feet. His cheeks puffed as he pushed out a breath of air. "And I just got into my comfy clothes, too." He leaned over to kiss Iris on the top of the head. "Hopefully we won't be out too late. Don't wait up, ok? I don't want you to be too tired for work."

"Sure, dad." Iris smiled up at Joe before locking eyes with Barry as he got out of his seat. "You, ok? You were really quiet tonight."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Barry replied. He crossed the room to the coat rack by the door. "Just thinking about dad. He called me three times last night to help him figure out how to work the TV in his hotel room."

"A lot has changed since he left," Joe said. He placed his hand on Barry's shoulder as he adjusted the collar to his coat. "It'll take him a while to get used to everything. Took you a while to get used to being here."

Barry caught the look of amusement on Joe's face. He heard the smothered laugh from Iris behind him. "You get lost going to the bathroom once and people don't let you forget it," Barry muttered. "Unbelievable."

"And you peed your pants, too," Iris pointed out.

"I didn't pee my—" Barry whirled around to face Iris. " _It was water from the sink._ "

"When you finally found the bathroom."

"The house looked different in the dark."

"Ok, ok, time out." Joe formed a T with his hands. "I'm stopping this argument now. I change my mind, I'll keep the landline. At least the constant ringing would drown out your arguing." Barry opened his mouth to protest, and he heard Iris start to speak from behind him "Ah, ah, ah!" Joe grabbed Barry's shoulder. "Get in the car."

Lifting his hands into the air, Barry did as he was told. It was better not to piss off a cop. Let alone piss off someone like Joe West.

"What's really bothering you?" Joe asked as soon as he slammed the passenger door shut. "Iris is right, you were unnaturally quiet. Even more so than the phone not ringing."

"Just a lot on my mind," Barry replied as he buckled himself in.

"That's the most I've seen you two talk in a long time," Joe said. He started up the car and it shook as it roared to life.

"Averey and I saw Eddie the other day." Barry didn't mean to blurt it out. Joe's hand slipped from the gear shift and he stared at Barry in amazement. "Mhm. I'm not kidding. It was him, Joe. I know it was him. I first saw him back during Flash Day, but I thought I had imagined it."

"Eddie?" Joe repeated. He reached for the gear shift again and for a second time dropped his hand. "You're sure?"

"Positive," Barry replied. "Joe, with the breaches Jay talked about. Do you think there's a chance he really could have survived?"

"I don't know what to think," Joe replied, finally shifting the car into drive, pulling away from the curb. "Every day, I'm just reminded of how much I really don't know what's going on around here."

Barry stared out the window. "You used to tell me that you knew everything," he said.

"I lied." Barry smiled. "When you get to my age, you figure things out one day at a time." He prodded Barry's shoulder. "That doesn't mean you should stop listening to me."

"Of course, not."

"So, what else is on your mind?"

"They're not going to ask me any more questions about my dad's case, are they?" Barry asked. Joe stayed silent. Barry used the first two fingers on his right hand to mime a person running beside the car. "The night my dad was arrested, they asked me so many questions about what happened. We both told everyone about the lightning that we saw that night. Now they have proof that he didn't do it, and no one's asking me to corroborate the story."

"Right now, I think we should be happy that no one is going to investigate Wells's death," Joe replied. "The last thing we need is more people hanging around S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry, if we bring it up again, people will start connecting even more dots regarding S.T.A.R. Labs and Wells and how the metahumans came to be. And maybe, they could link it to you."

"Come on, Joe," Barry said. "Do you really think anyone would figure out it's me?"

"No one else is going to see that video, Barry," Joe said firmly. His grip on the steering wheel tightened and loosened. "While it does give enough detail to release your dad, nothing about metahumans was ever mentioned. Nothing about the lightning. Nothing that would ever truly clarify what you and Henry saw that night." Barry curled his hand into a fist and slammed it against his arm rest. "I know. But, it's the reality we must face. And it's better than nothing, you can't deny that."

"You're right," Barry agreed. "I know you're right."

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Central City Police Headquarters and made a beeline to the interrogation rooms. Captain Singh and Patty met them outside of the room. Pressing a folder to Joe's chest, Captain Singh stopped him from taking any more steps.

"He's sticking with his story," Captain Singh said, speaking quickly. "He wasn't around at the wharf, even though we have picture proof. We're currently looking into anyone that could corroborate his story, but, I don't think it'll hurt to try and get another angle on this. Plus, it'll be good experience for Spivot to see two different interrogation techniques. And considering she was the one who caught the guy…" He tapped the folder against Joe's chest.

"And you did that how, exactly?" Joe asked, slapping his hand over the folder.

"It wasn't too hard," Patty replied with a proud smile, lifting onto the balls of her feet. She stuck her thumbs through her belt loops. "After Barry filed his report, and we were told who we were looking out for, I started at the last known location of Mr. Slick's arrest. Starting from there, I put a profile together of the people he was known to interact with, and the places he was known to go, and just waited. Habits are hard to break and, as we all know, if those don't have a great support system after being released from jail or prison, there's a good chance they'll go back to their old ways. So, I waited. When he showed up, I apprehended him and brought him in." Silence met her explanation. "Oh, and I wasn't off duty or anything. It was near the end of my shift, and I knew how important it was that we bring him in before you decided to go to the public give us information to find him. But, I don't mind the overtime work to see the great Detective West in action."

"Ummm," Joe looked over at Captain Singh who nodded his head, "Ok." He pointed his finger at the ground. "Wait right here. Don't move." He took a step towards the door and stopped, turning back around to face Patty. "I mean it."

"No problem, sir," Patty replied. "I'm excited to see this through." She shifted her gaze over to Barry out of the corner of her eye and winked, her smile widening.

"Come see me when you're done," Captain Singh said. He first looked at Patty, and then over at Joe. "Now that we've got a good look at him, know his name and all of that, maybe you can let the Flash know about him. Just to give him a head's up. Ok?"

"I'll be sure to let him know," Joe replied with a nod.

Barry tightened the muscles of his jaw to stop himself from smiling. After all, Captain Singh just told the Flash himself who he was to keep an eye out for. Stepping up to the observation window, Barry pressed his shoulder against the glass, peering in at the curly haired man behind it. That was the metahuman he had encountered, all right. Problem solved. The Flash could put his attention on something else. Like Jay Garrick and figuring out what was going on with Eddie Thawne.

"You know you can come to the window," Barry commented, seeing Patty was still rooted to the spot. "Joe didn't mean to stay _exactly_ where you are." Patty flushed. "After all, Captain Singh wants you to get another perspective on interrogations."

"Right, right," Patty said, slinking up to the window. "Of course, he didn't actually mean…I'll just stand here."

"You got lucky you know."

"Excuse me?"

"See, you just got a glimpse of the illusive police-dad."

"What?"

"There's Joe, the police detective, and Joe the dad. You just met Joe, the Police-Dad." Barry chuckled at the half confused, half amused look on Patty's face. "It's the worst kind out there. You never want to make him angry. He's got the voice of a cop, and the forcefulness in his words of a dad. A scary combination once you get the full force of it aimed at you."

"Sounds like you've got some experience in that department."

It wasn't too long ago he had dropped the voice. Once he started believing in metahumans, and that maybe his dad hadn't done what everyone thought he did, did it soften and even out to its usual rich timbre. "More than I would want to," Barry replied, "but you're bound to hear it every now and then. Just don't take it personally, it means he cares."

"Got it." Patty nodded. "Thanks for the heads up." She scratched the back of her head. "Hey, speaking of dads. Congratulations." Eyebrows lowered, Barry turned away from the observation room to look at her. "Your dad? He was released from Iron Heights? It was proven that he was innocent, amazing."

"Oh, right. Yeah, thanks."

"And I'm also sorry it even had to happen in the first place. And with your mum, I couldn't even imagine." She cleared her throat. "I lost my dad a little while back so…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize," Barry apologized. Patty put a hand to his arm, and quickly took it away.

"Don't apologize," she said with a reassuring smile, "you didn't know. I just…I don't fully understand what you're going through. But, those feelings of 'why me', 'why him', 'what could I have done differently', I get all of that." She crossed her arms over her chest, shoulders lifted as she took in a breath of air. "And I'm also sorry that someone you looked up to so much…"

"Yeah." Barry bowed his head. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Join the club. Dr. Wells was the leading man in sciences." Barry's eyebrows shot up. "First my interest in not one, but three areas of science, and now this." Patty smiled. "You seem to be surprised at the things that come out of my mouth."

"It's not that," Barry replied. "It's just that…you get it. Things I thought were hard to explain you've summed up in no time flat."

"Usually, it's not something I would try to find in common with someone," Patty said, rocking from foot to foot.

"Yet, you said it with a smile," Barry pointed out. Patty's hand flew up to cover her mouth. "It's ok. It's kind of refreshing to talk about it with a smile, everyone usually gets this somber mood to them." He pressed his lips together for a moment. "You really want to be on this Task Force, don't you? I mean, you went above and beyond what anyone would normally do with information on a perp we're trying to find."

"I'm a good fit," Patty replied. "Captain Singh seems to think so, and I really don't think Joe can do this all on his own. I've done my research before applying for the position. People were assigned to the Task Force before. Once they saw how dangerous it was, they jumped ship. But, I don't run from things, I run towards them."

"I know exactly what you mean," Barry said.

"Well, it's why you got into forensics, right?" Patty asked. "You wanted to help clear your dad's name?" Barry stared at her. "I may have read your bio along with your case reports."

"Yeah, something like that," Barry explained.

He did a double take - his dad was out. That was it, then; he didn't have to work towards finding his mom's murderer anymore. Central City, however, was still under the threat of this illusive Zoom. Another meta that wanted him killed. He couldn't let his guard down just yet.

"Guess I don't have to worry so much about it, anymore. But, that doesn't mean I'll be getting a day off anytime soon. There's still metahumans lurking around."

"Sometimes, I don't know why they bother with the Flash around," Patty said, "but if that means getting to see some action on the Task Force, by all means." She spread her arms out, as if inviting a metahuman to leap out at them. "The Flash can't do it alone, can he?"

"No," Barry said, shaking his head back and forth. It was a lesson he had been getting pounded into his head repeatedly. "He can't. A good support system always helps." A fond smile appeared on his face picturing walking into S.T.A.R. Labs to be greeted by Cisco's upbeat attitude, and Caitlin's strictly-business persona. His smile faded – another thought hit him. "You know what you said about finding Slick? And how it was pretty easy because you thought it'd be hard for him to break his habit?"

Patty nodded. A second later, her eyes widened, and she gasped. "I didn't mean to imply – If it helps, I never thought of your dad as a murderer. I don't think he's going to go back and…well…"

"Oh, no, no, no." Barry gave Patty a reassuring smile. "It's ok. I know you didn't mean that. You just made me realize something, that's all."

"What's that?" Patty asked.

That if he didn't accept the support that everyone had been trying to give him for the past six months, then he was doomed to try and do everything on his own again, that's what. Without their help, without _Jay's_ help, if, and when, Zoom came around, he'd be fending them off on his own. Muggers and car jackers were one thing. Blood-thirsty metahumans were another. And experience showed there'd always be one that would take the place of any meta they took down.

Even further than that, Henry had told him on many occasions that he wouldn't have been able to get through his time at Iron Heights, if he didn't have Barry believing in him. It was like Barry had said earlier: without Joe, and of course, without Iris, he may not even be here. He would have probably ended up in jail like everyone thought he would. He knew the statistics and was determined to not let it happen. Joe, too. Still, Averey had grown up thousands of miles away, and ended up in trouble that resulted in the outcome he tried to avoid. As a result, she had pushed everyone, that truly wanted what was best for her, away.

If people were going to support him no matter what, he had to do the same for other people. He never had to do anything on his own because no one ever let him. Not truly, anyway. And he wasn't going to just sit by and let others feel like they had to go through life alone. They had to believe in each other, or else whatever they came up against, there was no way they'd make it through it.

"Barry?" Patty waved a hand in his face.

Barry blinked, snapping back to attention. "Sorry. Just thinking. You've helped me figure something out."

"Happy to help," Patty replied with a smile. "It's kind of my job, so…" She chuckled. "You wouldn't believe how much people really stop and think about what's going on when you give them the time to do so. I'm telling you; pick them up off the streets, and just let them talk all the way back to the station. You'll learn a lot."

"I'll take your word for it," Barry said. He turned towards Joe as he left the interrogation room, shaking his head back and forth, tapping the folder against the palm of his hand. "What's up?"

Joe motioned for Barry and Patty to follow him to Captain Singh's office. As soon as they were inside, he closed the door behind him. Barry and Patty took the two seats in front of Captain Singh's desk. "We have to let him go," he said.

"What?" Barry and Patty asked in unison.

"But, this is the guy!" Patty leapt to her feet. "He was on the security footage. His arson background matches up. The disconnect of the sprinkler system, the gasoline, the…" She fell silent when Captain Singh lifted his hand into the air. "Sorry. Sir." Clasping her hands in front of her, she lowered herself back down into her chair.

"We have no reason to keep him here," Joe replied. "He insists he was imprisoned during the accident and he was. In fact, I remember the news article about it. I even had Cecile Horton confirm it with me, she worked on that case." He waved his phone in the air. "We have no probable cause to hold him."

Captain Singh nodded before turning towards Patty. "Don't beat yourself up, these things happen," he said to her. "Besides, we were looking for him to ask questions about what had occurred. The two stories don't match up."

"But, but the fingerprints match."

"As they did when one of our own was accused of shooting two officers last year," Captain Singh agreed. "Except it was a metahuman that took on his form." He looked back at Joe. "You think this could be another metahuman like that?"

Barry shifted in his seat. There was something strange going on with Eddie, but it wasn't metahuman related at all.

"All I can say, is that _this_ Eddie Slick is not the man we're looking for," Joe replied.

"Ok." Captain Singh put his hands down onto the top of his desk and he got to his feet. "Let him go. We have no other choice." Joe turned to leave. He stopped at Captain Singh's next words. "Before you do that, though, I would like to meet the newest recruit to the Task Force."

"Sir?" Joe asked, looking back and forth between Captain Singh and Patty.

"Next week, Spivot, I want to see you out of that uniform," Captain Singh commanded. "It's business wear from here on out. There's a lot of paperwork that needs to be filled out, so let me get a head start on this. I'll have it all completed for you to complete and sign tomorrow."

"Thank you, Captain." Patty was on her feet once again. "Thank you so much."

"I'm also requiring you to take courses to learn the ins and outs of being a detective," Captain Singh warned as Patty continuously shook his hand. "You'll learn how to interview witnesses, interrogate suspects, and work with informants. And you'll also be doing everything Detective West says. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Patty beamed. "I won't let you down." She grabbed Joe's hand with her free one and shook that, never releasing Captain Singh's hand. Barry hid his laughter at Joe's stunned expression behind his hand. "Either of you. I promise." She seemed to realize what she was doing and pulled her hands back. "Sorry, sorry. I just…I'll just get going. See you bright and early tomorrow. Thank you. Again." She pointed towards the closed office door with her fingers. "I'll just…"

Captain Singh closed his eyes, pressing his fingers to his temples. "Allen, I wanted to speak with you for a minute," he said. "Joe, if you don't mind."

"Of course," Joe said, following Patty out the door.

"Oh, yeah, Averey told me to tell you that she didn't want the money," Barry said to Captain Singh. "Or something like that."

Captain Singh blinked, staring blankly at Barry before seeming to clue in on to what he was saying. "That…has nothing to do with…ok." He waved his hand in the air. "Thanks for letting me know." He settled back in his chair, twisting it back and forth. "I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing since Henry's release. I was happy to see the conviction overturned."

"Oh." Barry wiped his palms on his knees. He pressed down on his kneecaps as they started bouncing. "Thanks for asking. I'm great. Real good."

"I know people weren't exactly happy when you were added to our roster," Captain Singh said, and Barry pressed his lips together. "And I know people have been pretty vocal as of late regarding…everything. But, I just want you to know, the CCPD is behind you. We all want you here."

"I appreciate that, Captain. None of this is getting to me, I promise. I always knew dad didn't do those things." Barry shrugged, smiling brightly. "Now everyone does, too."

"I do have to warn you," Captain Singh said, "some people here don't exactly agree with what happened. And some may not be too afraid to tell you so."

"But, you just said—"

"Not everyone here shares the same viewpoints as each other," Captain Singh said with a frown. "You have cops who are stuck in their old ways, and the new ones from the academy that grew up with so much technological change, that they don't bat an eyelash at new rules and regulations that come about. If anyone seems to be getting on your case, just come to me, and I'll sort it out. Ok?"

"…Ok," Barry slowly replied. "No problem. I do appreciate the support, Captain."

"Of course," Captain Singh replied. "That's all I wanted to discuss with you. I'll see you tomorrow." Barry nodded, getting to his feet. "Have a nice night. I apologize for calling you in so late."

"That's part of the job, right?" Barry asked. He lifted his hand in a brief wave as he slipped out the door. Reaching for his phone, he pulled it from his pocket and quickly dialed in a number, holding it to his ear and waited for Caitlin to answer. "Hey, Caitlin. Sorry, I'm calling so late." He chuckled when he heard Cisco's loud greeting in the background. "Hi, Cisco. What are you two up to?"

"Just spending the last legs of Wednesday with nachos and some drinks," Caitlin replied.

"And celebrating," Cisco's distant voice grew louder as he grew closer to the phone. "Caitlin's coming back to S.T.A.R. Labs."

"I still have some time left at Mercury, but I put my two weeks in," Caitlin added, speaking over Barry's gasp of surprise. "I promise, Barry, I would have told you as soon as I decided, but you had so much going on with your dad."

"Yeah, we've been thinking about you two," Cisco added. "We hope it's been going well. Since, you know, we haven't been getting _any_ updates from you. And you haven't been stopping by S.T.A.R. Labs."

"I know, I know," Barry replied. "I'm sorry, it's just—"

"Don't apologize, you've been with your dad," Caitlin insisted. It sounded more like she was talking to Cisco than Barry. Stepping out of the office area, Barry shifted his phone from one ear to the other. Joe was nowhere in sight. "That's way more important. We understand."

"Don't you worry, we've been keeping an eye on this Sand Demon, and any other meta sightings going around. Professor Stein has been helping us with our tests on Jay, and it's all be running smoothly."

"Thanks, guys. That sounds fun." He cleared his throat. "Listen, do you still have Jay in the Pipeline? Put him in one of the rooms, ok?"

"Ummm, ok." Loud crunching came over the phone. "What's up with that, dude?"

"I just think we should start believing in him, that's all. There has to be a reason Jay is trying to talk to us. He insists that he wants to help. Maybe he does want to help."

Silence. Barry walked in a circle, checking to make sure he didn't miss Joe anywhere.

"I know that sounds weird, coming from me. But, I believe in us and what we had accomplished all last year. And I believe we can get through a whole lot if we stick together. This whole time, I just thought if I could handle things on my own, I wouldn't be putting anyone else in danger. But, I've really come to realize that no one can truly get through life on their own. So, thank you, guys. And, you especially, Cisco for keeping up with my suit even when I didn't want you at S.T.A.R. Labs."

Cisco let out a loud, mocking gasp. Barry grinned, picturing his friend putting a hand to his chest in offense. "You didn't want _me_ around? Me? The person that makes your life more fun? You wanted me out? Of S.T.A.R. Labs? My baby?"

"Well, it does belong to me now, so…"

"Ok, ok, before anyone's feelings get hurt," Caitlin cut in, "I will move Jay to a room for you, Barry."

"Great, thanks. I'll be there first thing in the morning." Rounding the corner, he kept himself at a distance from Joe, who was tucked away in a dark hall, talking quietly with a woman. Stepping back to the main foyer he said, "I knew I could always count on you guys. There's something important I need to tell you, anyway. And it's really not an over-the-phone- kind of conversations."

"Understood," Caitlin replied. "See you tomorrow."

"Eat some nachos for me."

"Considering there will actually be plenty because you're not here to eat it?" Cisco asked. Barry stayed silent. "Yeah, I went there. And, yeah, I'm salty about that comment. Deal with it!"

Laughing, Barry ended the call, turning towards Joe, who reappeared at his side. "Ready to go?" Joe asked. Barry nodded. "Ok, let's get going." He jabbed his thumb into the elevator button and stepped into it once the doors opened.

"Who was that?" Barry asked, leaning into the corner of the elevator.

"Who?"

"That woman you were talking to."

"What woman?" Joe kept his focus on the front of the elevator as he doors slid shut. "I wasn't talking to anyone."

Barry's eyes narrowed. "I was looking for you and I saw you talking to someone in the back hall."

"Oh, her," Joe said, stroking his beard. "Someone wanted directions." The elevator hummed as it lowered them towards the first floor of the building. "Away from Central City."

Noticing Joe's tone, Barry quickly dropped the subject and followed him back to his car. Joe muttered under his breath about having to release Slick as they went, otherwise, the car was silent. "Joe, if we can't hold him, we can't hold him," Barry said as they came upon a red light.

"You didn't see the look on his face when I told him that," Joe replied, tightly gripping the steering wheel. "If there's one thing I hate, it's seeing how smug criminals get when they think they've outsmarted us. It doesn't matter whether they get pinched later. They got away with it for a period of time."

"But, if he didn't do it—"

"We all saw that it was him!"

"You even proved that he was incarcerated at the time—"

"Besides that, everything matches." Barry watched a muscle in Joe's jaw twitch repeatedly. "I know you don't want to even entertain the idea that everything Jay has told us so far is true…" Joe's nostrils flared. "But, he's the best lead we've got on this." Joe stayed silent. "You told me that I needed to stop holding all of the guilt on my shoulders regarding what happened with Eddie and Ronnie. You need to do the same with Wells."

"That night I took you in, I promised the state, and even your father, that I would do everything I could to keep you safe—"

"Let me just stop you right there," Barry said, ignoring the frustrated look on Joe's face. "You. Did. Not. Know. None of us did. You did exactly what you were supposed to do that night; protect me. If you hadn't have gotten me to S.T.A.R. Labs. I wouldn't be here. Full stop. We're all in this together this time. It falls on all of us."

Sighing, Joe dropped his hands into his lap. "I really hate it when you and Iris throw my words back at me," he said after a moment of silence. "I really do."

"It just proves you know what you're talking about," Barry replied. "And that we listen."

"You just have to know, I don't always make the greatest decisions," Joe said quietly. "There are a lot of times where I really don't know what I'm doing." Barry watched his eyes narrow as he gazed into the rear and side-view mirrors. "Except now."

"What-?" Barry was blinded by sudden flashes from the cameras that were pointed in his face. Lenses tapped against the glass of the windows. Muffled shouts of "Barry Allen, how are you and your dad?", "What's it been like for Henry outside of Iron Heights?", and "Many have been protesting his release. What do you think about that?" were shouted at him.

"For real?" Barry groaned. He pulled his arms out of his coat sleeves and lifted it over his head. Even through the material of the coat, he could see the wall of camera flashes. "They don't know when to quit."

"Here's one of the bad decisions I was telling you about," Joe warned. He stomped on the gas pedal and blew through the red light.

* * *

"Oh, great thunder," Jay groaned, the next morning. He massaged his forehead with his fingers. "Not more tests."

"It's not," Cisco replied from the doorway of the room. "But, you're wanted in the Cortex nevertheless."

"I've gone through test after test, how do you still not believe me?" Swinging his legs around the side of the bed, he shook his head. "Day after day you've kept me locked in the Pipeline. I understood that. But, even after these tests, after everything I've told you, you don't believe that I have Barry's best interest at heart?"

"Hey, pal," Cisco said loudly. "I don't know how things are run where you come from—"

"Not much different than here," Jay replied. "Except people are more trusting." Cisco poked his tongue into his cheek. Scoffing, he nodded his head.

"Ok. Remind me that the next time a Wells decides it's a great idea to turn on a particle accelerator," Cisco replied. "Also, just because we haven't found evidence of the Speed Force in your system, doesn't mean you ever had it to begin with. Come on."

Jay rolled his eyes but did as he was told. Whatever it took to keep everyone on his side. But, man, was it all just so… _unnecessary._ Not that he could ever tell them any of that. His word was his word. If they didn't believe him, well, then, that was just their problem.

"Professor Stein," Cisco loudly announced, "you, fortunately, haven't had the pleasure of taking the time to get to know Jay. Jay, Professor Martin Stein."

"Pleasure," Jay said, offering his hand towards Professor Stein. Gazing curiously, Professor Stein took his hand and shook it.

"Charmed." Removing his hand from Jay's, he adjusted his glasses. "I must say I have spent numerous evenings pondering this other world you have discussed with us. It certainly is a fascinating. To think that everything we do here is altered where you come from."

"Or claim to come from." Jay turned his head and regarded Barry from where he stood. Leaning against the doorway to the medical bay. Staring at him. Cisco stood between Professor Stein and Caitlin. They were all staring at him.

"Is that all you wanted to tell me?" Jay asked. "That you actually started to consider what I'm saying is the truth?"

"No," Barry replied. He pushed himself off the doorway, arms crossing over his chest. He took slow steps towards Jay. "I want to hear you out. Hear everything, and I mean everything, that happened to you. How you got here, what you did between then and now."

"Besides stalk us?" Cisco asked. "I mean, come on, dude, haven't you ever heard of Facebook stalking? It would have saved you a lot of time."

"I'm sorry, Face what?" Jay asked. Cisco's eyes widened. "And what do books have to do with them?"

"I understand your confusion," Professor Stein said with a chuckle, "but it's not as it sounds as Clarissa has explained to me." He cleared his throat. "Nevertheless, we have yet to find any proof to back up your claims. The research is there, many have been bringing forth the very idea of parallel universes – the Butterfly Effect so to speak – coming forth as the years go on. However, nothing conclusive."

"I don't expect there to be, if I'm being honest," Jay replied. He lifted a hand and roughly pushed his fingers through his hair. "I don't understand. What is it that you all want?"

"You seem to know and understand everything about this Sand Demon," Barry said. "About us. I know who he is; his name, his previously known residences, his background. But, you know what he's like as a metahuman."

"Ok?"

"Help us," Barry replied. Jay blinked in surprise. This was almost too easy. "Help us defeat this Sand Demon, figure out who Zoom is and what he wants. Help us figure out how to find this breach. If we close it now, we may be able to get ahead of things."

 _Fat chance._ Jay's lips twitched.

"Jay, help us help you get your abilities back." Barry was now standing in front of Jay. He offered Jay his hand. "Help us help you figure out how to get home. You didn't ask for any of this to happen to you, just like we didn't. With our areas of expertise, I'm sure we can figure this out."

Jay gazed upon Barry, eyes narrowing with growing skepticism. _Where did this sudden change come from?_ Not that he really cared. If it meant he could get closer to them all, bring it on. "Your team seems to be lacking a few members," he pointed out. Barry lowered his hand.

"Joe is covering for me at work," Barry explained, waving his hand in the air. "Averey's house arrest is up soon, and I'm not bringing Iris into this until I'm 100% sure everything will be ok." At the confused looks on Cisco, Caitlin, and Professor Stein's faces, Barry bowed his head for a moment. Upon lifting it, he expelled a breath of air. "Because I don't believe Jay was the only one who made it through the singularity. The breach." He pressed his lips together. "Eddie made it through, too."

Jay smiled to himself, forgotten by those in the room as Cisco, Caitlin, and Professor Stein turned on Barry and threw question and outcry of disbelief at him. To his credit, Barry did try and answer every question as best he could, stumbling over his words, and insisting he did in fact see what he saw.

While all this happened, Jay retrieved his phone from his pocket and, repeatedly glancing downwards at the screen and back up at the inhabitants of S.T.A.R. Labs, he fired off a text message ( _Update?_ ) and slipped his phone back into his pocket. Had he had his speed, it would have been done in a fraction of a second. This felt like an eternity, and yet he was still able to use the distraction to his advantage.

Just like he wanted.

"But, are you _sure_?" Professor Stein asked. "We had all witnessed Ronald's tremendous bravery that day." Caitlin crossed her arms over her chest, using her hands to rub at her arms. Professor Stein placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She smiled appreciatively.

"Yeah – I'm – you guys, I'm positive." He jabbed himself in the chest. "And let's not forget just how many people around us, myself included, gave off the appearance of being dead and coming back to life."

"So…two?" Cisco asked, pretending to think. Jay had to stop himself from laughing out loud. And rolling his eyes. Both reactions strongly vying to be done.

Barry gave Cisco a look of frustration. "Three if you want to count yourself," he replied dryly. "Or have you forgotten?"

Cisco let out a loud, mocking laugh. "Yeah, because having your heart shredded is something you can easily forget," he replied with an over the top smile. "But, I do have to thank you for doing me a solid and running back in time and all that." He clicked his tongue. "You really helped a brother out."

 _Are they serious?_ Jay closed his eyes. On the one hand, in-fighting certainly would make things a whole lot easier. It wasn't nearly as much fun as being a part of it, however. He rubbed his chin, pretending to think. "I thought I had read that Eddie was one of the casualties of the singularity?"

Everyone hesitated. Exchanged uneasy glances. "That's a bit of a long story," Barry admitted. "He sacrificed himself to help save us against someone we thought we could trust a little while back."

"Detective West had said the same thing," Jay replied. "Harrison Wells, right?" A muscle in Barry's jaw twitched. "I've been doing my best to catch up with news since you let me out of the Pipeline last night. I'm sorry about what happened to your parents."

"Thanks."

"Fortunately, I understand where your mistrust comes from. You see, where I come from, Dr. Harrison Wells was also the creator of metahumans. Unfortunately, that meant he was the creator of Zoom as well. And he never wanted to take responsibility for it." He tilted his head. "I guess that's another thing that's different here."

"You see?" Barry asked. "Who better to help us than someone who has been through it? With Dr. Wells, we were all _reacting_ to everything that came our way. Now we can _act_."

"No, you don't understand," Jay said, lifting a hand in the air. "I barely made it through that singularity with my abilities – before they were somehow stripped from me. I don't think it's possible that anyone without some sort of regeneration capability would be able to survive. I'm sorry, kid, but I don't think this friend of yours could have survived it." _Even though I have been seeing him daily._

"I saw him, I know I did," Barry replied. "Not just recently. I saw him at Flash Day, too. Averey has seen him, too. She can prove it to you. Cisco, can you project a video call on the monitors?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Good. Call Averey."

"But—"

"Please, Cisco."

Cisco retrieved his phone from his pocket and checked the time. "She's working," he announced. "And even then, how would she be able to prove it? We only know that she can remember what she sees. It's not like I can hack into her brain and project her memories against the wall." Still, he dialed her number, the peal of ringing playing through the speakers in the room.

Halfway through the fourth ring, there was a _click_ and Averey's voice came on the line. "Can I give you a ring later?" she said in a hushed tone. "I'm about to go into a meeting with Tracey to see if I can get my job back at Jitters."

Cisco threw his hand into the air, eyebrows lifted in a "See? What did I tell you?" kind of way. He apologized and ended the call. Barry frowned.

"Barry…" Caitlin chewed on her bottom lip. She sighed. "Ronnie was different. With the accident, Ronnie hadn't actually died. But, now…" Barry ran his hands over his face before he clasped them together behind his neck. "I just recently had lunch with Iris and we talked about this; if Eddie could have survived. I don't think it's possible."

"We deal with the impossible every day," Barry protested. "Anything we don't know we research and come up with theories. Why is this something none of you will accept?" He shook his head back and forth. "Just like everyone didn't believe me about my dad. I know what I saw."

"Mr. Allen does raise an interesting point," Professor Stein agreed. "Before the accident, we all wanted the accelerator to be a success to help us answer questions of the universe we don't have." He clasped his hands in front of him. "Perhaps Mr. Garrick here, can supply us with some of those answers. After all, he is the first person I know who has successfully made it through a black hole. Not even the greatest scientists of our time know what occurs inside a black hole."

Jay looked back and forth between the team members and rolled his eyes, reaching for his phone. Upon opening the message he received, he read: _Had Slick track the Slick from this place last night. Falsely arrested last night. Officers tied to Barry. Ready when you are._

His response: _Go._

"I'm willing to help you with whatever you need," Jay said. He held his hand out to Barry. "Like I said, kid, I just want to help you." Barry put his hand in Jay's and shook it. _Now to get everyone out of the way._ "So, we're going to figure out how to defeat Sand Demon. Do you have any place to practice around here?"

"There's the training area in the basement," Cisco offered. "It hasn't been used in a while, but during the clean up after the singularity, I expanded the area."

"Good, the more space the better," Jay said. "Because, Barry, I'm going to teach you how to throw lightning." Barry gaped at him. "Sand Demon isn't like Atom Smasher who punches first and ask questions later. He is more of an aggressive fighter, but in two areas. With his sand, he can easily distract his opponents before following up with a personal attack. I've tried everything I could think of – even phasing through him to try and gain the upper hand."

"How does throwing lightning help?" Barry asked.

"Ah, yes, I understand," Professor Stein said with excitement. "This, uh, Sand Demon is, quite obviously, known by its moniker. It is made of sand."

"It's actually not sand, but human cells," Jay replied. "It takes on the appearance of sand, though. Harden any cells on your body, and you're bound to make that mistake."

"That's…gross," Cisco said, making a face. Gasping in horror, he lifted his hands to his face. "And I've been handling it with my tests."

"Try having it in your mouth," Barry muttered.

"Uh, no, thank you!"

Professor Stein cleared his throat. "If I may continue." Jay almost sneered at the older man's indignation. "Each strike of lightning is measured around 30,000 kelvins, would you all agree?" He didn't wait for anyone to agree with him. "With that heat, you could indeed, create glass with it. But, don't expect that to occur with any one stray lightning strike on the beach. Otherwise, every off-shore storm would have caused glittering sands by this point."

"But, it is glass that is our goal here," Jay explained to Barry.

"Indeed," Professor Stein said. He sounded excited. "The lightning created from the friction surrounded your body due to the exception speeds you can reach, Mr. Allen, will be hot enough to turn that sand into liquid sand."

"Sand Demon prefers to be around any place that would have enough moisture to keep himself a solid form," Jay added. "Much like, trying to build a sandcastle. It won't take any shape without the addition of water to hold it all together." He snapped his fingers. "Caitlin, start running a scan of the city to locate any places like that."

"Hey, pal, that's my job," Cisco said with a frown. "But I will, at least, start the scan for you, Caitlin. Just shout if you ever find anything."

"Oh, of course. Jay had the good mind to blush. Caitlin hurried into position behind her computer. "I apologize." So far, so good. _Now just to take care of the other two._ "The water helps the sand build bridges with each other to keep its form. In this case, the shape of Sand Demon."

"Precisely." Professor Stein nodded. "With all the heat the lightning would put into the sand, about 50 thousand degrees Fahrenheit or so, you'd be stripping all of the water from his body like _that._ " He snapped is fingers. "It's more than enough to create glass. It won't be the same glass we're used to seeing, of course, but the principal is still there."

"Great," Barry said. He started towards the doorway of the Cortex. "Let's get started."

"While we're doing that, I may have an idea for you to attempt to track down the other breaches," Jay said, turning towards Cisco. "All of the tests Dr. Snow has had me do since arriving, there may be something in the results you could use to connect to the breach. Something we weren't looking for before." He lifted his hand and scratched at the back of his head. "If only I had my helmet. I had lost it when I was pulled into the breach but…"

Cisco gasped. "Helmet?" he repeated. Eyebrows narrowing, he exchanged glanced with Barry.

"Not a helmet with little wings on the side?" Barry asked. "That's _your_ helmet?"

"Yeah, that's it," Jay said with a smile. "You found it?"

"It came out of the singularity right before it became unstable," Cisco replied. He slapped himself on the forehead. "Dude, if you had only brought it up before…" Barry chuckled, shaking his head. Jay just shrugged his shoulders. "I think we could use it."

"Yes, of course," Professor Stein replied. "It is said that objects from other universes vibrate at a different frequency. If we take this helmet of his, and find out it's distinct properties, we may be able to apply it to our search for any other breaches that may carry the same signature."

"We've got all of the equipment we need in my lab," Cisco said, leaping to his feet. "I think I have some of Sand Demon's cells – gross – left over. We can match it against his, too."

"After you, Mr. Ramon," Professor Stein held his arms out to the side, urging Cisco to dart out of the room ahead of him.

Jay smiled. Mission accomplished. "Barry, why don't you show me to that training room?"

For the next half hour, Jay watched as Barry raced around the expansive basement training area. And for that half hour, he has watched Barry fail. If he had his abilities, he would have been able to see every pump of the arm, and every foot fall. He didn't bother trying to keep up with the blurred lightning that sped around the room. But he had noticed, however, flubs in Barry's speed occasionally. It wasn't enough to see Barry's full form as he ran, but he had slowed down – gaps in the trail of lightning behind him were indications of this.

"Again," Jay commanded when Barry came to a screeching stop. The echoes of his scream of effort faded as it bounced from wall to wall. On the platform in the center of the room, Jay crossed his arms over his chest.

The room was nothing too impressive. One platform in the center of the large room. Steel scaffolding supported the roof. His own training area was more impressive. It was a whole city-wide area he could run around in.

"You're not running fast enough. In fact—" He tilted his head to the side. "You faltered. Like, flickered or something."

"I'm doing…" Barry breathed, hands on his knees, "the best I can."

"You have to clear your mind," Jay said. "Your abilities are an extension of you. You _are_ the lightning. You have to direct it where you want it to go."

"I know, I know!" Barry slapped his knees and straightened. His chest heaved. "I said I'm _trying_."

"You're not trying hard enough," Jay contradicted him. "Whatever it is that's bothering you, clear it from your mind." Barry's nostrils flared. "I don't care how important it is. Nothing is more important in this moment than understanding what it is you need to do. Great thunder, Barry, it's not that hard!"

"Have you ever done this yourself?" Barry asked, removing his cowl from his face. "Throw lightning?"

"No." Barry stared at him. "But, I know how to do it. The thing is, is that you're trying to do everything all at once. Slow down your movements."

"You just told me I needed to run as fast as possible," Barry protested.

"Correct." Jay shoved his hands into his coat pocket. "You need enough speed to create the friction with your feet that generates your lightning. You need to allow the lightning to take over you." He licked his lips. "What did it feel like when you were first hit by that lightning?"

"At first it hurt," Barry replied. Hands on his hips, he started slowly pacing. "A lot. I always thought that if I ever was struck by lightning it would be instantaneous. It felt like it would never stop." Lifting a hand, he started massaging his shoulder. "I guess that was really just in a nanosecond or something because when I saw the security footage, I was out instantly."

"The Speed Force must have had something to do with that," Jay mused. Removing his hands from his pockets, he rested them atop the metal fencing surrounding the platform. "A couple of seconds for anyone else can feel like an eternity for us. I told you. I understand how you feel." Barry hummed. "You don't think I feel bad that I wasn't able to stop Zoom or any of the metas from my Earth from coming here?"

"Who is Zoom?" Barry asked. "Do you know?"

"He's a demon," Jay replied, "hell bent on being the strongest and fastest speedster in every corner of the universe. Even then, I don't think he'll ever stop. He's ruthless and won't let anyone standing his way; human or metahuman. He'll do anything and everything to conquer each place he visits."

"Then it wasn't him," Barry muttered.

"Sorry?" Jay asked. Barry pressed his lips together and shook his head back and forth. "You saw Zoom?"

"No," Barry shook his head, but he didn't offer any more information. Jay narrowed his eyes, gazing upon the thoughtful look that appeared on Barry's face. Both men looked towards the ceiling when the intercom crackled.

" _Barry, we've got a problem_." Cisco's voice filled every inch of the room _. Joe has been blowing up the phone._ "

"Shoot." Barry grimaced. "Singh must really be expecting me."

" _There's been an incident at the CCPD_. _You need to get up here now._ "

Jay closed his eyes when Barry zipped out of the room, a burst of wind pulling at his hair and clothes. Smirking, he leisurely followed behind Barry, checking his phone for a third time. One message sat waiting for him: _Done._ Whistling to himself, he took his time making his way back up to the Cortex. Upon his arrival, he was met with the channel 52 news playing on all the screens mounted on the wall.

"What's going on?" he asked to Caitlin, Professor Stein, and Cisco's backs. Barry was pacing in front of them with his phone pressed tightly to his ear. He tried to put as much worry and concern into his voice as he could.

"A police officer, one I've come to know recently, was abducted by Sand Demon," Barry replied, ending the call. He held it tightly between his hands, squeezing as hard as he could. "Joe, Patty, and I had just arrested and questioned him last night. But, we had to let him go. Of course, he would want some revenge." He shook his head. "And she was only taken because of me. I just know it."

"The guy you arrested wasn't Sand Demon though," Cisco pointed out. "So, how would he even know to take – what was her name? Patty?"

"Patty Spivot, she's new to the job," Barry said distractedly. "Atom Smasher went and killed Al Rothstein. Sand Demon must have gone and tracked down his own double, too. Joe had even said that he was smug at having outwitted us. He probably went around talking about it." He slammed his phone down onto the counter. "Caitlin, have you found where this guy might be?"

"Nothing yet," Caitlin replied, apologetically. "We'll find her, Barry, don't worry."

"Jay said he needed water, moisture to keep himself whole," Cisco said, rubbing his chin. "He first appeared at the fire on the wharf. He must not be too far from there; there's plenty of moisture closer to the beach." He closed his eyes as he thought. "He disconnected the sprinkler system when he first appeared. He won't do that now because he'll need all the water he can get."

"They were evacuating all the buildings around that boating warehouse," Barry said. "Caitlin, narrow your search down around that area."

"Of course." The sound of tapped piano keys and rapid clicking filled the air. "Ok, we've got the fishery, that boat warehouse, the cannery, boat charters, the old Woodrue factory—"

"Wait," Jay said, sharply. "Woodrue?"

Caitlin turned in her seat to face him. "You've heard that name before?"

"Yes, Jason Woodrue, he was a metahuman where I came from," Jay replied. "Plants were his specialty."

"Of course," Professor Stein said. "Plants need plenty of moisture to thrive, especially inside a building. Central City isn't known for its greenhouses outside of some of the Laboratories around town. However, grow rooms are ideal to keep things, uh, under wraps so to speak."

"You warned me, and I didn't listen," Barry said to Jay. He walked around the computer station to speak directly to him. "Now Patty, someone close to me, is in danger. More and more things corroborate your Earth-2 story. If you were right about all of that, you must be right about Sand Demon. If he wants to take on the Flash, let's give him the Flash. Two of them."

"Are you serious?" Jay asked.

"He's been sent here to kill me," Barry replied. "Zoom thinks you've been defeated, so neither of them will expect you there."

"I told you, I don't have my speed," Jay protested.

"Who else needs to know that but us?" Barry asked. A smile slowly formed over his face. "Come on, Flash. Show me how it's done."

Jay shook his head from side to side. "He's not going to know what hit him. I'd be honored to fight alongside you, Flash." After Barry's quick trip to gather his suit and retrieving his missing helmet from Cisco and Professor Stein, Jay found himself being pulled through the city and to Woodrue's abandoned warehouse.

As soon as his boots hit the floor, a wall of moisture hit him. Coolness spread around his feet and he merely glanced down at the puddle he was standing in. Ripples spread out to the edges of the puddle, shimmering the reflection of the ceiling. Eddie Slick's visage appeared upside down in the water.

"Flash?"

"Don't worry, Patty," Jay called. "I'll get you out of here."

"Seeing _is_ believing as they say," Sand Demon said, gazing upon Jay. "I heard through the grape vine that you had been defeated." His upper lip curled. "Zoom wouldn't have spent his time coming after me if he hadn't, I suppose." Jay grit his teeth, staring Sand Demon down. "What's the matter? Zoom got your tongue?"

"Something like that," Jay replied.

"Argh!" He swung wildly at Jay who nimbly dodged each attack, laughing to himself. "Ahhhh!" Jay grabbed onto Sand Demon's fist, roughly pushing it away from him. He threw punches and kicks all his own. Sand Demon dodged his offensive attack just as easily.

"Oh, ho, ho." Sand Demon let out a taunting laugh. "Look who doesn't have his speed anymore?" He bounced on the balls of his feet. "Oh, I'm _really_ going to enjoy this." Jay looked past him to Patty bound to the chair behind him. She stared at him with wide eyes, mouth clenched tightly. "Don't worry about her. You see, if you even put one finger on her – _kaboom_!" He splayed his fingers, eyes alight with excitement. "And I don't think even _you_ can outrun something like that."

Jay tilted his head to the side, looking under Patty's chair. Blinking lights could be seen. "A concussive bomb. You really think that's going to work on me again?" he asked, turning back to Sand Demon – right in time for a sand covered fist to connect with his cheek bone. The coarseness stung, and bits of sand flew into his eyes.

"Ah." Doubling over, Jay blinked rapidly, trying to clear his eyes of sand. The grains scratched behind his eyelids, bringing tears to his eyes.

Sand Demon grabbed the collar of his shirt and drove his knee up into his stomach. An upper cut followed. Jay stumbled back, boots landing in each puddle, soaking through the material. A fist shaped wall of sand hit Jay square in the chest, knocking him onto his back. Sand Demon stood over him, smiling in triumph. "I'm _really_ going to enjoy this." Pulling his hand back, his arm extended, turning into a hammer-like fist high in the air.

Jay scrambled backwards. Reaching behind him, his fingers came upon the curved edge of a pot. Gripping it firmly in his hand, he swung his arm around, smashing it into the side of Sand Demon's face. "Ohhh." Jay's stomach lurched when, instead of breaking, the pot was pushed deeper and deeper into Sand Demon's face. Sprinkles of sand fell to the floor. The smile never left Sand Demon's face.

"Go, Barry!" Cisco shouted. The microphone cracked and popped at the sudden shout. "He's distracted now. Get Patty behind that brick pillar behind her. It will absorb most of the blast."

"Just, _run_ Barry," Caitlin said, voice filled with worry.

"The second you get her out of that chair, the concussive bomb will go off," Professor Stein chimed in. "The humidity in the air changes the atmospheric pressure, so the speed of the shockwave travelling through the air will be affected. The air is denser, so the sound will travel slower, thus the shockwave. However, Miss Spivot _will_ be affected, but the faster you get out of there, the less side-effects she'll suffer from."

"Got it!" Following Barry's confirmation, orange-yellow light burst into the room.

The rush of air that was Barry was shortly followed by a powerful force of energy that lifted Jay off the floor and through the air. Pain exploded in his back as Jay collided with a cart of pots, glass jars, and tarps. Head throbbing, he removed his helmet from his head, barely even a dent in the metal, and rocked back and forth, massaging his forehead.

"You ok?" Barry shouted across the room.

"You should be worried about yourself," Sand Demon replied, turning away from Jay. Lifting a hand, he removed the pot embedded in his face and dropped it to the ground. He brushed the sand off his shoulders. "After all Zoom sent me here to kill you. Now I get the fun of killing _two_ speedsters. Starting with you."

Jay pushed himself up to his knees. Gripping his helmet tightly in his hands, he looked across the room to Barry. One hand to his head, Barry locked eyes with Jay and nodded. Jay flung his helmet at Sand Demon, striking him in the back of the head. Without looking, Sand Demon reached his hand behind him and used the sand to stretch his arm across the room, grabbing Jay by the throat.

"Ack." Jay tried to claw and punch at the hand. Whatever sand he managed to clear away, more took it's place a second later. A pile of sand grew at his feet before being pulled across the ground and up into Sand Demon's legs.

His vision, even in the dark room, grew steadily darker. Blackness started at the edges of his vision, creeping in until it added a black filter over the image in front of him. Sand Demon gasped. Jay lowered his voice to a demonic growl. " _Your nephew is waiting for you_."

"What?" Sand Demon asked, whipping around to face Jay. His face grew ashen. He released Jay's throat. "You…you…" The black filter lifted just as a wall of lightning struck Sand Demon in the back. Flying, his body hardened. Sticking out of the back of Sand Demon's head, Jay's helmet vibrated so violently, Sand Demon's body had shattered before it hit the ground.

"Good work," Barry managed over gasps of air, "Flash."

"You, too," Jay replied with a nod. His boots crunched over the glass that littered the floor to retrieve his helmet. "How's Patty?"

"I don't think she'll be coming around for a bit," Barry replied, briefly glancing over his shoulder. "But, there was a pulse. She'll be ok."

"Good."

Barry lifted his hand to the ear of his suit. "Thanks for the assist, you guys." Caitlin, Cisco, and Professor Stein reassured him, sounding relieved.

* * *

"Where have _you_ been?"

Pushing the front door closed, Malcolm answered the question with a simple, "Nowhere." Turning around, he faced Jay, who had a bandaged cheek and chin. "Looks like you had a rough day."

Jay snorted. "Nothing I couldn't handle," he replied. "I'm fine." He kept his gaze on Malcolm, never blinking.

Malcolm cleared his throat, crossing his arms over his chest. "You called me back. Why?" He kept his tone light. "We jumping over? Looking at another meta?"

"Yes."

Malcolm's eyebrows lifted. He waited for more of an explanation, but Jay didn't give it. "Anyone in particular?" he asked. "I need more information if you want me to run surveillance."

"I'll figure it out once I look over who we have," Jay replied. He turned towards Malcolm and beckoned him forward with his fingers. "Come on, let's go. Move it."

Reaching under his shirt, Malcolm removed his pendant. Holding the cord in his hands, he made sure the pendant front was facing Jay. Closing his eyes, he concentrated. The pendant glowed a bright blue and flashed three times before Jay's body was engulfed in bright blue flames. Jay closed his eyes, tilting his head back, spreading his arms out wide as the flames surrounded him, covering every inch of body before it just as quickly was snuffed out.

"Well?" Malcolm asked.

Smirking, Jay lifted his hands, curling his fingers into fists. Blue lightning shot from fingertip to fingertip, before crackling in the whites of his eyes – before it was overtaken by the blackness of his pupils.

He had his speed back.

"This should throw them off for a while," Jay commented, stretching his arms across his chest. "I had to subject myself to so many stupid tests." He shook his head back and forth. "That girl is not stupid, she knew I didn't have any evidence of the Speed Force in me. Still, she insisted." Jay started stretching his arms over his head.

"From what I could get out of him, he seems to think she's smart," Malcolm explained.

Jay hummed. "Incredibly intelligent," he said.

Malcolm's blinked. He had never heard that tone from Jay before and was sure he wouldn't ever hear it again. It was softer. More…admirable. He hadn't even spoken that way when he had come across Malcolm and enticed him to join his team. The topic of power, destruction, and triumph didn't even bring the same kind of gleam to his eye.

"And?" Malcolm prompted.

"We're wasting time." Jay looped his arm in a circle, and a swirling portal opened. "Do your job." He jumped through and Malcolm followed behind him.

Upon arriving in a darkened building, Malcolm used his pendant a second time to conjure his suit around him. Earth-2. He was home. Jay zipped off, leaving a trail of blue lightning to briefly glow behind him. "Show off."

Cowl pulled down over his face, Malcolm strode up a flight of stairs at a light jog. He burst forward with a wave of flames left behind him. Skidding to a stop in the room, he faced the glass pods in the room. One was inhabited by a man with a heavy iron mask encasing his head. The second housed a blonde-haired man who sat lazily against the back wall, chained to the floor by his ankle. He barely flinched when Malcolm arrived, yet rolled his shoulders back in defiance. His gaze was fixed on the girl. "You'll be ok." He gave Malcolm his full attention.

"Are you going to be cooperative today?" Malcolm asked. "Surely, a few questions aren't going to hurt anybody." The man snorted. "Spoke too soon, I suppose. Then again, you would know how probing questions can be. Given _our_ line of work." He smiled evilly behind his mask. "So, we'll start with something simple. Nothing I haven't asked before. What is your name?"

For a minute, it didn't seem like the man would respond. Then, his lips parted, he opened his mouth, and he said in a hoarse baritone, "Eddie Thawne."

"And where do you live?" Eddie stayed silent. "Now, now, that's not any way to treat those who nursed you back to health, is it? We could easily reverse that." Eddie's nostrils flared. " _Where do you live?_ "

"…Central City."

The questions came one right after the other. Malcolm barely gave Eddie time to finish his answer before he moved on to the next question. After all, he wanted to make sure he had everything right. If he was going to make this as believable as possible, no part of the plan could go wrong. He almost smiled appreciatively when he was finished. "That wasn't too hard, was it?"

"Considering you've been asking me the same questions over and over again?" Eddie stuck out his bottom lip and shook his head back and forth. "No, not really."

Malcolm chuckled. "Cute," he commented. "I must remember that. Lift your shirt." Eddie gave Malcolm an odd look. "Do it." Eddie lifted his hands to his shirt and slowly unfastened the buttons, revealing a reddish-pink starburst-like scar sitting in the middle of his chest, skin pulled taught. Malcolm looked it over closely. It had healed very well.

Air pushed at his back, nearly sending him forward into the glass wall. "Do you have everything you need?" Jay asked from behind him, voice gravelly than it had been before.

"Yes," Malcolm replied. "We can move forward with the plan immediately."

"Good." The two men accelerated out of the room with a burst of blue light. Upon coming to an empty corridor, Jay removed his mask from his face. "I'm sending you back. I suppose I'll see you soon."

"You will." Malcolm clicked his tongue and removed his own mask. "From what I can gleam, this girl can't seem to stay away from Barry Allen no matter how at odds they are."

Jay's lips twitched. "That's annoying."

Malcolm didn't answer as he stripped himself of the top half of his suit. Retrieving his pendant from his suit, he took in a deep breath of air and held it flat to his chest. Flames burst out from under his hand, tickling his palm, yet searing the skin on his chest. Jay's nose wrinkled as the smell of burning flesh filled the room. Knees bent, Malcolm slowly sank to the floor. He didn't scream. He grit his teeth and endured the pain as it stretched outwards across his pecs.

"That's enough."

Releasing his tight grip on, Malcolm breathed deeply through his nose, and out through his mouth. As the seconds ticked by, the pain subsided. His skin no longer burned. It itched as it healed. Then relief. A moment later, he was back to normal with a new scar situated in the center of his chest.

Jay nodded his head in satisfaction before opening a portal. Pulling his suit back up over his shoulder and across his chest, Malcolm jumped through with Jay following behind him. They landed in a quiet neighborhood. As the sun began to set, children's laughter reached their ears. A basketball repeatedly hit the ground. A dog barked.

With a rush of air, Jay was back in his street clothes. "Have fun."

Tucking the pendant under the collar of his suit, Malcolm made a face. The tight fabric melted away with blue embers as he, too, changed back into his button-down shirt and slacks. Nothing else was said between the two of them. Malcolm slid his hands into his pockets and made his way down the sidewalk.

As he walked, he felt an odd sensation. Almost like he was being pulled to his destination. As if he had been there a thousand times and knew exactly where to go. He had been watching the place on and off the past six months, but this was something different.

Up the front walk way, up the porch steps, and to the front door. He knocked on the door. Pounding footsteps. The door was swiftly pulled open. She appeared.

"Iris." Malcolm nearly gagged at his love-sick tone. At the way his heart pounded in his chest. The smile that came to his face. He had no idea where any of it came from. "Hi."

Iris stared back at him, mouth working noiselessly. "Eddie…" Her eyes instantly filled with tears, overflowing. She silently cried. Shaking hands covered her mouth. Her brown eyes locked with his as she shook her head in disbelief.

He expected all of that. He expected her to run into his arms, hold him tight, kiss him, and tell him how much she loved him. How much she missed him. How much she needed him.

...What he did not expect was her slamming the door in his face…the bitch.

As if he wanted to be around her, anyway.

* * *

 **A/N:** I apologize for the wait in this chapter. I've been so busy lately. However, I've suddenly got a great burst of inspiration to get back to writing this. The third story in the Blindsided series hasn't been named yet, however, I'm excited to write this story and the next one as well due to the ideas I've had/re-worked recently.

This chapter was heavily focused on Barry, so the next one will be more focused on Averey. Then we'll get back into split chapters as the norm. We'll also see more with Cisco and Dante, too.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Something you didn't understand and need further explanation on? Please leave a review. I appreciate the feedback.

-Rhuben

.

 **Review replies:**

 _Ethan:_ You're right, there's a lot to look forward to in this story. Especially after what just happened at the end of this chapter. Barry, Averey, and Henry's relationship I'm really looking forward to writing now that Henry is out of Iron Heights. Let's just say things with them will be _interesting._ And very soon, too.

 _Gods-own:_ Yes, I agree. It helps to have some slower moments in the middle of everything. I need to input some more happier moments with them all as well from time to time.


	10. Seeing What Others Can't

**Chapter Ten:** Seeing What Others Can't

* * *

Arms pumped. Legs rotated. Lungs burned. Averey dashed from one end of her backyard towards the house. Bent into a squat, she touched the line where the grass met the concrete of the patio. With a pivot on her ankle, she took off back towards the fence. Back and forth she ran, pushing herself to go faster. Faster... Faster…

"Faster, Aviator." Daniel watched the time on the stopwatch in his hand. "You're really flying now."

Her palm connected with the fence in a brief touch. Averey turned back around to sprint towards the house. Her sweat-drenched ponytail hit between her shoulder blades with each step. Beads of sweat slid down the sides of her face, into her eyes, the corners of her mouth. Her monitor bounced against her ankle, the top of her shoe. She lifted her legs higher. Pumped her arms faster. Breathed through the ache that built in her muscles as the seconds ticked by.

"There you go. Two more laps and that's it."

Gritting her teeth, Averey bowed her head. She ran faster. Wind whistled in her ears. Faster. The burning in her legs disappeared. It felt like she was floating. Like her legs disappeared. Like she was moving on autopilot. Like she would run right through the fence if she didn't stop…

Another slap to the wood. She sprinted to the finish line. _Beep_. The time was stopped. Arms held above her head, Averey breathed deeply and slowed herself down into a walk.

"50 crunches and you're done."

"It already - feels like - you stabbed me in the gut," Averey wheezed. She squeezing her eyes shut, blocking out the stinging sweat. "Why twist the knife?"

"Do your 50 crunches, and I'll tell you." Arms crossed over her chest, Averey sank to a seated position on the ground. She stuck out her bottom lip. "I'm waiting." She pushed her bottom lip out even more. Daniel tossed the stopwatch back and forth in his hands. "That's not going to work anymore, Averey."

"Fiiine." Timing her breaths, Averey powered through her 50 crunches. Over time, the burning in her abdominals had grown, and slowed down her crunches, but it didn't match the burning in her legs that suddenly appeared. Brows furrowed, she swung her arms down to propel herself into an upright position. Teeth clenched, she proceeded to rub at her calves.

"What's up?" Daniel asked. Tugging up the waistband of his athletic shorts, he lowered himself into a squat. He tapped her shoe with his hand. "You all right there?"

"My legs," Averey replied. She massaged her calves faster, pressing down harder. It only brought little relief. "I don't know. They feel like they're…on fire." She frowned. A line of relief followed her fingers only to start burning a second later. "Prickling, or tingling, or whatever." When would the tightness ease? "It's not like a cramp. It's different. I can't really explain it."

"You've been working hard lately," Daniel replied. He sat down and reached for her hands. Removing her hands from her legs, Averey took them, and allowed him to pull her into a forward stretch. Her nose nearly touched the ground between her legs. "Restoring buildings, going to the gym, working out here. Not to mention keeping up with all the regulations and meetings with your probation officer. Your mind and body are probably just telling you it needs some time to rest." He released Averey's hands. "Which is why, I want to explain something to you."

Placing her hands on her knees, Averey pushed herself back up into a seated position. "What's going on?"

"Do you know why I've been having you do all these exercises, and making sure you keep focused on work?"

"Because you don't think I've been punished enough, and you actually want to drive me into the ground?"

Daniel scoffed. He even smiled a little bit. "I wouldn't have hired the best lawyers in town to get the sentencing you got," he replied, "if that were the case."

"True." Averey smiled appreciatively.

"But, if you want to sit behind a jail cell, go ahead." He motioned towards the gate of the fence. "Go break a law right now. I'll have your mum bake you a mince pie. I'm sure she'll try and smuggle a nail file into it."

"Yeah, sorry. Then why?"

"Because, after a death, it's important to keep your physical and mental health up," Daniel replied. "Trust me, it's very easy to let that go. It's why Ellie keeps telling you that you need to talk to someone." Planting his hands on the ground behind him, he leaned back. "We've talked about taking you to therapy."

Averey's face twitched. "No way." Every conversation could turn back towards S.T.A.R. Labs and metahumans. She fancied herself as a smooth talker most times, but there wasn't any perceivable way the topic of her being a metahuman wouldn't come up somehow. "Not happening."

"I was the same way when it was first suggested to me."

Pulling one leg inwards, Averey leaned to her left. Grasping the toe of her shoe, she stretched her leg. "You've been to therapy?"

"I still go sometimes." Daniel closed one eye when the sun started to peek out from behind the clouds. Averey leaned closer to her knee, trying to block out as much light as she could with her body. "Between my nan passing, and everything I've seen after bushfires, I needed it. There's nothing wrong with asking a third party to listen to you." Switching legs, Averey narrowed her eyes at Daniel and he put his hands up defensively. "You don't have to do it, just keep the idea in mind."

"Mum hand this conversation off to you, or something?" she asked. "You sound a lot like her."

"She tagged me in last night." Daniel ignored Averey's huff of annoyance. " _Because she's worried about you, Ave_. She's your mum, she has every right to be. With house arrest coming to an end, we think it's more important now that you at least have another option in your pocket. Especially since you'll be adjusting back into everyday life." Averey rolled her eyes, using her nose-to-knee to her advantage. "Honestly, we've been going back and forth about this for a while because she wants you to know the information but doesn't want to upset you. So, I'm tasked with talking to you about it."

Averey pointed her legs in front of her in a V shape, leaning forward to stretching her lower back. The grass tickled her nose. "You know, it took a lot of talking to convince her not to jump on the next plane and follow you overseas when you first left. And it was another long conversation when you stayed after you said you'd be back in a few months. She knew something was wrong, but I tried to convince her to let you do whatever you needed to do on your own."

Averey thought she heard him mutter the word "Again." Peering up at him, she was sure she had seen his mouth move to form the word. What stood out the most was the bitterness in his tone. She didn't say anything.

"Personally, I think she shouldn't press the issue," Daniel continued after a moment of silence, "you'll talk when you want to. We can only repeat ourselves so many times. You have to remember; Ellie is not used to you keeping things from her. I've always been impressed by how bloody transparent you two are with each other, even since you were still a tot. Through knowing you two, I've learned to be that way, too."

"So, I'm going to tell you something flat out." Sitting up, Averey pulled both legs inwards, pressing the soles of her shoes together. Grasping her feet, she bounced her knees in the Butterfly position. Sighing, the tingling feeling had finally started to dissipate. She looked him in the eye – tears slowly gathering from the steadily growing brightness of the sunlight. His voice hardened, and he spoke quickly, yet deliberately. "You and your negativity over the past six months have been doing my bloody head in. I have been counting down the days you can _finally_ roam further than this flat, so I can do away with it. It's grating. It's annoying. I don't like walking on eggshells in my own home. And if you weren't confined here, I would have _seriously_ considered looking for a new place for you to live."

Averey stopped bouncing her knees, the sudden edge to his tone surprising her into a frozen state. Her lips parted, and her jaw dropped in shock. Daniel's shoulders shook as he started to laugh at her dumbfounded expression. "Well, damn," she commented. Eyes starting to burn, she turned her head one way and then the other to wipe away the tears. "Tell me how you really feel, yeah?"

"I didn't mean to make you cry," Daniel said, his laughs turning into chuckles. Averey blinked rapidly, trying to stem the flow of her tears, not even bothering to correct him. There was no way she could. "I don't mean to laugh, either. You should have just seen your face."

Averey tried to hold it back, but felt herself start to laugh, too. "I'm glad you told me the truth, dad," she said. _Finally._ Grabbing a handful of her tank top, she pressed it to one eye and the other before using her hand to shield her face from the sun. "If I've been that much of a brat, you might have told me sooner, DK."

"You've always been a brat," Daniel replied with a snort. He relaxed into a teasing grin. "You've just been full on lately. That's all." He slid his hands over his hair. "I'm sure I've counted more grey hairs lately." Averey grabbed a handful of grass and threw it at him. Daniel spat at the blades of grass that stuck to his lips. "No, but seriously, all of this; having you work with me, keeping up with your gym routines, restricting your tv and internet access, all of that was to kind of not give you a lot of time to dwell on what happened. To stop feeling sorry for yourself, learn from everything, and move on. Spend your time doing something constructive. It's not the end of the world."

 _Not anymore, it's not. Thanks to Eddie._ Averey slowly nodded as she allowed Daniel's words to sink in. _And Ronnie, and Professor Stein. And Barry._ They were all responsible for saving everyone in the city. Not her. What was that phrase? The life of one for the lives of many? Things certainly did work out that way. She saved one and they saved many.

"I also want to apologize for not believing you at first when you first told your mum and me about Central City and the metahumans."

Averey snapped out of her thoughts, re-focusing on him. "Since your case, and what happened at Flash Day…" Daniel's eyes widened briefly, and he let out a sigh through his nose. "In life, there's no telling what people are capable of. What they want out of life, or what they'll do to get it." He bowed his head. For a moment, all was silent as Averey watched him and Daniel twisted the string to the stopwatch around his fingers until they turned red. "And I apologize for not believing you when you said there was a guy in lightning in your room that night."

"Oh, dad, don't worry…"

"He was that Yellow Flash guy people have been talking about, wasn't he?"

Averey blinked in surprise. "Reverse-Flash, yeah. I think."

"Your mum and I have been looking back over any instance of metahumans that were mentioned in the media," Daniel explained. "And we came across your friend Iris's blog. We didn't realize so much was going on around here. With this Gavin Turner guy disappearing, not being used in your case…anyway, I apologize." Daniel unwound the stopwatch from his hand, offering it to Averey.

"Cheers, dad." Averey slapped her hand into his and they bumped fists. "I'm sorry, too."

"Good. Cause there was one more thing I was trying to take your mind off of." Daniel grinned. "Ready for your last P.O. meeting on house arrest?"

Averey was confused for a moment before it slammed into her head. It was Friday! Her last day on house arrest, and it couldn't have come soon enough. Punching the air with her fists, Averey let out a loud cheer before rolling backwards to her feet.

"I thought you'd be happy about that," Daniel said, standing.

"I'm stoked, mate."

"Come on, I can smell your mum's cinnamon rolls." Daniel looped an arm around Averey's shoulders as he guided her into the house.

Averey leaned into his side. "When Jitter's opens, you need to get some from there, they're fantastic."

Upon entering the back door to the house, Averey kicked off her shoes. Bounding through the living room and up the stairs into the dining area. Sliding across the floor in her sweaty sock-feet, she let out a loud cheer before coming up to her mom. "Good morning," she chirped, kissing Ellie on the cheek.

Ellie lowered the newspaper in her hands and kissed Averey back. "Great morning," she replied, pushing strands of Averey's hair from her face. "I'm proud of you, you know. You've worked hard for this day."

"Dad did, too," Averey said with a smile, "to _not_ kick me out of the house."

"Sorry to say, sweet, I can't say I blame him," Ellie replied. She then fixated a hard stare on her husband. "But, I did tell him _not to tell you that_." Daniel gave a sheepish smile, kissing her on top of the head as he sidled past her. She swatted him away. "Hurry. Go get showered and changed. Brekkie will be on shortly, and then we can get going. We don't want to be late today. Don't get it wet, and make sure it's charged."

"I'm hurrying." Averey bounded up the stairs, listening to her parents' joyful tones as she went.

"Been training for six months, and she's knocked nearly 5 minutes off her time," she heard Daniel comment. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she suddenly got super speed or something."

"Tell that to the ones investigating her monitor," Ellie said cheerfully. "All that training has really paid off. I'm sure they'll believe that."

"Super speed." Averey laughed to herself, shaking her head. "Ha. If only." Hopping on one foot than the other, she peeled off her socks. They were left on the floor behind her along with her tank top, and her sweat soaked hair scrunchie. Her exposed skin beaded with goosebumps when the cool air, touched her. _If I had superspeed, that'd be the least of my problems._

The chime of an incoming video call caught her attention and Averey launched herself onto her bed, grabbing onto her open laptop before it bounced to the floor. After a couple of quick clicks, she was face to face with Felicity Smoak.

"He, Liss," she greeted Felicity. She rolled onto her right elbow to lift her left hand in a wave. "How ya going?"

"Oooh, a nickname," Felicity said with a grin. Her teeth pressed down onto her bottom lip and she did a double fist pump. "I've always wanted a nickname. Yes!"

Averey chuckled. "Your name has too many syllables," she joked, "and Fingers McGee was way too long to say." Felicity smiled. "How's things in Star City? Last I heard, you actually got the chance to ride off into the sunset?" That was one of the last correspondences Averey had with anyone regarding

A thoughtful smile came across Felicity's face. Twisting the end of her long blonde ponytail around her finger, she slowly nodded. "It was good," she replied in a soft murmur. "Some parts, _really_ good." Her lips lifted into a smile. "And then we got back and…kaboom." She used her hands to mime an explosion. "It's still good but, you know how it is. Heard you guys have been having some fun lately. And Barry got the key to the city?"

"Don't really know if he ever got it to be honest," Averey replied. "Haven't been around…the other half of the city in a bit." She used her fingers to splay her hair over her shoulders, clearing her throat.

"Oh, yes. Right, of course. House arrest." She chuckled nervously. "Always thought it sounded like a vacation."

"Not so much, no. You've still got to take care of yourself. Work and all that."

"Oh, so more like an extended stay with my mother." Felicity blinked before squeezing her eyes shut. "Not that you needed to know any of that." She swallowed thickly. "So, uh, update, yes. That's why I called. An update about what you asked me. The Network." She clasped her hands together on the table top. "I have found nothing about The Network."

"Really? _You_?"

"Grrr, I know!" Felicity shook her fists at the sky. "And it's driving me crazy! But there is absolutely nothing about it. No traces online. Not even a blurb." She snorted. "Although, I have come to find out, that there are some companies around that really need to step up their firewall game." She started twisting back and forth in her chair. "Whatever it is, if it's even real, they're keeping it a well-guarded secret. Only word-of-mouth correspondence I would guess. Maybe for a reason."

"Interesting."

"Isn't it?" Felicity asked, sounding agitated again. " _Everybody_ puts everything online nowadays. I mean who _doesn't_ have a Facebook, am I right?" Sighing through her nose, she shook her head back and forth. "Sorry I couldn't be of much more help."

"I appreciate you looking, considering I haven't reached out in a while," Averey explained, scratching at her hairline. "I have an engagement this morning, but you have to tell me what's happening in Star City."

"That's," Felicity sighed, her lips flapping together as she did so, "a long story. One confined strictly to a heavily encrypted e-mail." She lifted a finger into the air. "And would, for sure, self-destruct after being read. Things are tough around here, and we all know they'll get worse before they get better. But, we have it handled."

"Hmmm." Averey scrutinized Felicity. She noted the way the corners of her lips tightened. How she rolled her shoulders back. The way her eyes seemed to make it a point to be focused on her own – despite angling her head to accentuate the glare of the screen on her glasses lenses. Felicity's eyes darted back and forth as the silence stretched on. Glancing at the clock on the bottom of the screen, Averey decided it wasn't best to bring up now. "Whatever you say. With the Arrow – _Green Arrow,_ sorry – Star City is in good hands. I have to go, ok?"

"Me too. I'm sorry I wasn't of much help."

"You've helped. Cheers."

With another wave, Averey ended the call. After a shower (where she took the time to lather, rinse, _and_ repeat to give her time to wondered just _what_ The Network could be) and a quick change of clothes, she joined Daniel and Ellie for breakfast.

"Just think. At exactly…" Ellie lowered her coffee cup and looked over at the clock on the microwave, "nine O'clock tonight, you'll be off house arrest." She bumped Daniel's shoulder with her own as Averey took a large bite out of her cinnamon roll. "We did it."

"We did." Daniel tapped his coffee mug against his wife's. He pressed his forehead against her temple before he kissed the same spot. Out of the corner of her eye, Averey watched the exchange. She regarded the proceeding moment of silence between the two of them with a smile.

"I'll be waiting in the car." Taking the leftover fruit in her hand, Averey left the kitchen island. It was moments like this they were too wrapped up in each other to know what was going on around them. It was sweet to witness. In small doses.

But a nice luxury.

With her abilities, she would be hard pressed to forget any minute detail that crossed her field of vision. She could still see just how golden the sun looked as it set; the purples, and pinks, and blues that combined in the sky; and the birds that dotted the horizon the night Henry was released from jail.

That same night Barry had forgotten about her.

Not that she could really blame him. They had briefly met years and years ago before she turned back up in Central City at the age of 25. They were still finding their relationship with each other. Henry's release from Iron Heights was a moment he never thought would come. Of course, she would slip from his mind, like a lot of things could in that moment.

It didn't stop it from hurting. The truth was laid out right in front of her. She was someone that could be forgotten. Even the city seemed to forget that Visionary was someone they could count on to protect them. The Flash was getting the recognition he deserved – that Barry deserved – and she was happy about that. It was a nice turnaround from all the negative attention he's endured in his life. A huge event in her honor was nothing Averey was looking for. On one level, she wanted the city to forget her. To forget what it was she had done.

And she wanted to forget what had happened to bring everyone on Team Flash to disband. She recognized she had to hold accountability for her part in the team falling apart. She had to accept that she put herself in that position in the first place. But, it sucked.

Swallowing the last mouthful of fruit, Averey unlocked the front door. "I'm ready to go!" She was met with a swell of noise as soon as the door opened. Loud voices. Rapidly clicking camera shutters. Thudding footsteps as the crowd squeezed in. Each movement drew Averey's eyes to it.

Slivers of sunlight flickered across her face. Stumbling backwards, Averey lifted her arm to shield her face from the light. Her eyes stung. Tears gathered on her lashes. Stepping back, Averey fumbled from the doorknob. Her fingers closed around the rounded handle and she slammed it shut. Teeth grit, she sucked in deep breaths of air, willing for the pain to pass.

Then it hit her.

The news was on her front lawn…

What was it that they were shouting? She wiped at her eyes with her forearm, cycling back through the last thirty seconds. An image of the media swarm projected in front of her, the front hallway and small flight of stairs visible behind it. How was she reacting to the news of her dad's impending release from Iron Heights…How was Henry reacting to his release…Where does Henry Allen go from here?

"Muuuum! Daaaad!"

Rapid footsteps hurried in her direction. Daniel and Ellie spilled into the front hallway, nearly tripping down the small flight of stairs in their hurry. They joined the image of the news, the picture projected over them. Ellie instantly reached for Averey. Daniel moved towards the door.

"What?" he asked, panting slightly. "What's wrong?"

"The news is on our lawn," Averey replied blinking furiously to clear the image. She stepped into Ellie's embrace, allowing her mom to wipe the remaining tears from her eyes.

Daniel pulled is hand back from the doorknob. " _What?_ " He stiffened, casting a stricken glance over at his wife. "What do you mean…" He hurried into the dining room to peer out the window. Pushing the curtains aside, he glanced out into the front lawn and cursed under his breath. "Elanor, we have a problem." He yanked the curtains into place and turned away from the window. "Why are they here?"

"Da—uh—Henry," Averey replied. "They shoved cameras in my face, asking how I felt about him being released."

Hands planted on hips, Daniel licked his lips. His nostrils flared. He slowly breathed through his nose. "Ok, get away from the windows and doors," he said. Ellie gently pulled Averey into the center of the house. "We need to get to the car somehow. We can't miss this meeting."

"I have an idea." Ellie rubbed Averey's shoulders and kissed the top of her head. She lowered her voice and pressed her forehead to her daughter's. "Everything will be ok, Ava. Don't worry. Ok?" Averey nodded. Ellie released her and moved to the front door to grab her keys, shoes, and purse. "I'll go out the front. Daniel, you take Averey out the back and around the house."

"Honey—"

"Move!" Ellie clapped her hands together. "Now!" She stepped through the front door, slamming it shut behind her. Daniel stared wide-eyed at the closed door. He shared his shocked expression with Averey before it was replaced with an expression of anxiousness.

"You heard her. Grab your stuff."

Averey followed him out the backdoor and into the backyard. The shouts and clicking cameras grew louder as they burst through the gate and down the side of the house. An engine roared. A shout, "watch out!", lifted in the air. Daniel's truck swung around the side of the house, spraying dirt through the air. The passenger door swung open so hard, it nearly bounced back shut.

"Hurry, hurry," Ellie shouted. "Get in." She leaned out of the driver's seat to hold the passenger door open.

"Keep your head down, I'm right behind you, Ave," Daniel said into Averey's ear. He held her close with one arm, the other poised to hold the pressing people back. "We've practiced all summer, yeah? Just run." He gently pushed her. "Go. Go!"

The cameras and microphones closed in around them. With her momentum, Averey threw herself into the back seat of the truck. Daniel climbed in behind her, shutting out the questions and requests for comments. Ellie shifted the car into reverse. One hand turned the steering wheel, the other tightly gripping the gear shift. With a bump, they rolled backwards across the lawn.

Crouched in the backseat, Averey slid open the back window of the truck. She ignored Daniel's warning to stay out of sight. Ducking low, Averey pulled her sunglasses down to the end of her nose. Aimed her gaze at the ground. Tightening the muscles around her eyes, she felt pressure build up behind them. A haze of purple filtered over her vision, and she shot a blast of purple light towards the ground. Grass and dirt shot into the air.

"What was that?" Ellie asked.

"Keep driving," Daniel replied, staring at the side view mirror. "They're backing away. You've got space."

Another blast. And another. Reporters jumped back, covering their heads with their arms. Rocks and dirt bounced off the roof and the hood of the truck. Another bump and they were on the street. Cranking the wheel, the tires of the truck scraped against the asphalt. Ellie stomped her foot on brakes.

"Whoa!" Unbalanced, Averey grabbed onto the seats. Too late. She felt to the floor of the truck. With a shift in gears, Ellie accelerated down the street. Gripping the seats, Averey hauled herself up into a kneeling position. "Slow down," she shouted over the wind.

"Not until we get out of here."

"Honey, honey." Daniel tightly gripped his arm rests of his seat. "Gate. There's a gate!"

"I see it, I see it." Ellie carefully slowed the car to a stop. Waiting for the sensors to pick up the car waiting to be let out of the residential area, she tapped her fingertips on the steering wheel. Sensors picked up the car's presence and, slowly, the gate swung open. "Are they following us?"

Averey twisted in her seat, looking out the back window. She focused her gaze on the end of the street. Movement caught her eye. A blowing branch. A bird stretching its wings – but not taking flight. A piece of trash rolling in the street. Nothing the size of a car. Still, she slowly moved her head from side to side, carefully examining the magnified street.

"No, no one's following us," Averey reported. Ellie sighed and carefully pulled out into traffic. "Whoa, mum." Averey slid the window shut and sat down in her seat. "How'd you do that?"

Ellie smiled at her daughter in the rearview mirror. She winked. "Let's just say I never had to share my toys growing up," she replied. Her expression turned serious. "You ok, Ava?"

"Yeah, mum," Averey replied. "I'm ok." Leaning forward, she rested her arms on the top of the seat. Daniel lifted a hand and patted her elbow reassuringly. "Just thinking of dad and Barry. They've already had to deal with this enough."

Ellie hummed. "It's not right," she said, shaking her head back and forth. "It's been bloody open season since it was announced Henry would be released from Iron Heights. Every single day it's something in the paper about them."

The paper…

A thought struck Averey. She reached for her phone and quickly composed a text before reading it over ( _Iris, call me when you can. Need your and CCPN's help_ ) and sending it off. Her thumbs hovered over the virtual keyboard. The cursor blinked, waiting to display the next round of text. She hadn't talked to Iris in a long time. She couldn't just text out of the blue looking for help without checking in with her. But even her last text – a simple checking in after Eddie's memorial service – had gone virtually unanswered. A customary "Thanks" was all that she had gotten in response. Not that she had expected a lot.

Crossing one leg over the other, Averey reached down and slowly twisted the monitor back and forth on her leg. It had become a habit over time. She barely realized she was doing it. Settling on a simple _Hope you're doing well_ ; the text was sent with a tap of her finger.

"We can't worry about that now," Daniel said. They came up to a red light. He quickly checked the side-view mirror. "Let's focus on the meeting and getting Ave to work on time. Then we can figure out what to do next."

Half an hour later, Averey was on her own. As she sat in the small office, waiting for the probation officer, she couldn't sit still. Her legs started feeling like they were prickling again. Bouncing her knees gave some relief. Walking would help, but she didn't want to look like she was fidgeting too much.

 _You have nothing to worry about,_ she reminded herself. She had a place of employment, paid off all restitution, checked in with her assigned officer, kept her assigned officer aware of any requested changes to her schedule, and followed curfew. She followed all the rules as they had been explained to her. A lump formed in her throat at the thought of Cisco, Caitlin, and Barry all sneaking into her room, and swallowed it down as best she could.

Upon entering the office building, like usual, she was met with milling police officers - some in a simple button navy polo shirt and khaki pants, but with a gun strapped to their hips all the same. Encouraging posters, and posters of rules (no smoking, no phone calls, no drugs, no firearms) were pinned all over the walls. The officers gave off the air of wanting to help those that walked through their doors. She could appreciate that.

A few of the hard metal chairs were occupied. Some were sitting quietly, while others were constantly shuffling through their paperwork. Averey had barely sat down in one of those seats when her name was called to be brought into the back office.

"Right on time as usual."

Averey stilled her knees and looked up as Audra walked into the room. "Hi, Audra. How ya going?" Audra set a stack of papers down onto her desk before she stepped around it, lowering herself into her swivel chair. "Happy Friday."

"I'm sure it's a great Friday for you," Audra said with a hint of a smile. She reached for a pen and jabbed the end onto the table with a _click._ "In just a few hours, you'll no longer be on house arrest." She flicked the pen back and forth between her fingers. "And, as a result, this will be our last meeting. On Monday, you'll be reporting to Jane Atwell. She'll be overseeing the rest of your probation."

Audra pulled a stack of post-it notes towards her. Hunching over the small square, she jotted down the notation in her slanted, narrow handwriting. "Her name, e-mail, phone number, office number, and time to report to her is all here," she announced, folding the square. She held it out to Averey. Averey reached for it, and Audra pulled it a bit away. "I'm warning you now, Jane has been on this job a long time. She's been there and done all of that. She's been studying your case, and she's going to make sure you do what's expected of you." Audra slowly shook her head from side to side. "She has no problem revoking your probation like _that_ –" She snapped her fingers, "—if you don't cooperate with her."

"I've cooperated with you, haven't I?" Averey asked. "I followed everything you've expected me to, yeah?"

"Averey, it would have been very easy to charge you with tampering with your monitor," Audra said, folding her hands on her desk. Her fingers held the note protectively. "In fact, my superior had even wanted to charge you with it. This was the first time we had seen anything like this occur."

Audra held the note back out to Averey. She hesitated a moment, examining Audra closely. Not a flinch, or a single change in her breathing pattern. Her blinking remained steady. Averey plucked the note out between Audra's fingers. With her free hand, she grabbed the seat of her chair, pulling herself up into a straighter position. In all the time she waited, she found herself slouching in her seat.

"We've seen tampering alerts come up for a lot of reasons. Getting caught on door frames, hit on the side of bathtubs when people don't lift their feet high enough. All those instances would interrupt the signal which instantly alerts us on the supposed tampering. Every time something like this happens, we have to investigate the cause of said alert."

"Ok."

"Your case is different. Through our investigation, we have found that we received a tampering alert the day of the rally, but not the day of the discrepancy with how long it took you to return home days prior." Audra's eyebrows lifted. "Remember, we have a detailed schedule of how long it would take you to get to and from places you've submitted to us. Including the gym. We did receive your paperwork proving your arrival and departure from the gym. We have that on file."

"I just don't understand why you're investigating me making it home earlier than usual," Averey replied. "I went straight back home didn't I? Isn't that what's most important?"

Audra clicked her tongue. "What's most important is understanding that this is serious," she replied. "If we had found that you had tampered with the ankle monitor to give yourself extra time somewhere else—"

"But, you didn't find that extra time anywhere else, did you?" Averey asked. "No."

"Watch your tone."

"I've put in the work, I've done everything I'm meant to."

"I'm not trying to imply that you've done anything wrong, Miss Moore." Averey blinked at the sudden choice to referred to by her surname. Audra's voice had gone tight, face rigid. "I'm making sure that once you get this monitor off you don't ruin it. You've worked damn hard at this, and I'll be damned if you screw it up. I will tell you that again, and again, and again until you get it through your head. Other people would have been tired of repeating themselves. But not me."

"And I appreciate that, mate." Audra looked skeptical. " _I do_."

"You have sacrificed your family, your friends, and your freedom because of what you've done," Audra said. She pressed her index finger into the desk top as she talked. "You told me that you never felt like you had a choice. You always have a choice, and you chose to get through this. It's one of your goals, is it not?"

"Reckon it is," Averey replied. She knew for a fact it was; at the very top of the list.

If she had her way, it'd be the only thing on it. Audra had insisted on it. In fact, she swore by it. Making goals gave her clients something to work towards. So, at the very top, _complete house arrest_ went. That was followed by _complete probation_ , and _get jitters job back_ , and _make family proud_. At least, that's what she had written down. In her head was a completely different list.

One she intended on keeping. And not out of an obligation.

"Then I urge you to take caution when communicating with Miss Melanie Walker." Averey's stomach clenched, but she didn't say anything. "Yes, we know about Miss Walker." If she knew about that. Could she know about Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin? "She has a spotless record despite anyone's opinions about her family. However, I must warn you due to her family's affairs, she is someone the local law enforcement is keeping a close eye on."

"I've told her I wanted nothing to do with her," Averey explained. "Multiple times."

Audra nodded her head in approval. "If you want to keep these goals in mind, that will be for the best." She licked her lips. "A stipulation to your probation was to refrain from association with anyone who has had a prior misdemeanor or felony conviction. Or anyone currently under parole or probation. This was to decrease the risk of having another run-in with Mr. Gavin Turner as he currently has a warrant out for his arrest."

 _You aren't going to find him anytime soon_ , Averey thought to herself. She crossed one leg over the other. Resting her arms on her legs, her thumb grazed over the scar on the inside of her wrist.

"Miss Moore, I must reassure you that I'm not here today to tell you that you've violated any of the rules and regulations." Audra's demeanor softened. "I'm just here to explain to you that things like this can look bad. Even with your best intentions. In the scuffle at Flash Day, anything could have caused your monitor to short circuit. Ok?" Averey nodded. "Ok. So, that aside, I'm pleased to announce you're in the clear. Tonight, you may remove your ankle monitor."

Titling her head back towards the ceiling Averey put her hands to her eyes, smiling from ear to ear. "Bloody hell, mate," she said with a laugh. She bent forward, burying her face in her hands. Her knees started bouncing again, this time in excitement. "You had me going." Averey used her hand to brush her hair back from her face, focusing on every word that came out of Audra's voice.

"On Monday morning, you will come back here, meet Jane, and receive your new monitor. We call it a tether. It won't be GPS based, it's a remote tether. This means that we'll set a new device up in your home. You will not be confined to your home, you can come and go as you please, go to work, what have you. But at 10 O'clock every night, you have to be within the pre-set distance range."

"I still have curfew?" Averey asked.

"That is correct," Audra replied. "However, it's been pushed back two hours. The other terms of your probation are the same. You cannot commit another crime while on probation, comply with additional and special conditions placed upon you." She waved her hand in the air. "If everything goes well these last few months, you could have your probation terminated early."

"What a way to end the year, eh?" Averey asked.

Audra got to her feet, offering Averey her hand. "Congratulations," she said. "It's just two and a half months left of probation. Think you can make it, Averey?"

"No worries," Averey replied, shaking Audra's hand. "Just watch me." This was the first step in getting some control back in her life. She had a set of goals after all. And if there was anything on that list, it was Gavin Turner. And she'd make sure she got the chance to strike him from it.

* * *

Shuffling his weight from foot to foot, Barry peered into the screen on the storm door. Scratching the back of his head, he turned back around to face the blackness of the night. The news stations would have a field day if they found out where he was now.

Maybe this was a bad idea…

"Don't you think you've gone a little overboard? It's not New Year's."

Barry turned back to the door and peered through the screen into the lit dining area. He couldn't see much. The smell of some sort of meat, and cake drifted past his nose and out into the cool night air. He breathed in deeply through his nose and out through his mouth before knocking on the door frame before pulling it open.

"Hel—hello?" he called, slowly stepping inside. The six pack in his hands clattered, it bumped against the side of his leg with every step. He cleared his throat and spoke louder, stepping further into the house. "Hello?"

Ellie saw him first. She stepped past him with a platter of chips and salsa in her hands. It joined the plates of cookies, a vegetable platter with dip, what he recognized as fairy bread, and an assortment of bacon-wrapped treats that covered the table.

"Barry," she said with a bright smile.

Barry pushed a half smile to his face. He noticed her shift her weight towards him, arms twitching. Was she going to give him a hug? Did he want her to? "I'm not late, am I?" he asked. He lifted the six pack into the air. "I brought some root beer. Um, I know it's Ave's favorite. I guess." What little favorites he knew about her. That was something a brother was supposed to know, wasn't it?

"No, no, you're right on time," Ellie reassured him. Indicating the living room with her head, she made her lead the way through the small house. Barry almost burst out laughing. When was the last time he was on time for anything? "I'm glad you could make it."

"Yeah, I uh, well, I'm glad you asked," Barry said. "I didn't think Ave would want anyone here."

"That's what she says, yeah?" Barry could hear a despondent sigh in her voice. The peaceful smile never left her face. "She does go on sometimes, but I know she'd like the company."

Barry stopped at the entry way to the living room. Averey laughed triumphantly, pulling a plate of celery and carrot sticks out of the center of the coffee table. Across from her, Daniel gathered up the playing cards, making quick work to shuffle them.

"To think, Aviator, you used to hate eating your vegetables," Daniel commented. Averey took a loud bite out of a carrot in response. Chuckling, Daniel quickly shoved the cards, sliding them over each other with fast fingers. Fingers that stilled when he acknowledged Barry. "Hi. Glad you made it ok."

Averey's eyebrows furrowed when her hazel eyes locked on to his. "What are you doing here? she asked around her chewing. Daniel fixed her with a stare. "I mean—" She swallowed. "Would you like some tea?"

"Brought root beer," Barry said, holding up the carrier. "And, no thanks." He then stood where he was, not sure what to do next.

"Come sit," Daniel offered. "Ave needs someone else to cream in poker. I can't keep losing my food." He went back to shuffling the cards and spoke to Averey. "Your mum and I knew you wouldn't want this to be a big deal, but we thought it'd be nice if someone came over."

"You get your monitor off tonight don't you?" Barry asked. "Did I miss it?" Averey shook her head back and forth and Barry stepped over to the couch. Lowering himself onto a cushion, he placed his hands in his lap. He cleared his throat and said with a grin. "Plus, I thought this would be a good opportunity to see some embarrassing baby pictures of you."

Averey scoffed, rolling her eyes. She closed an eye in thought. "Let's see, there's the time I shaved my head because I got gum stuck in my hair," she listed off. "Braces, terrible fashion choices, and your typical bum naked in a bucket."

"Don't forget bum naked on the beach," Ellie called from the kitchen.

Averey pointed her finger in her mom's direction, acknowledging her answer. "Take your pick."

"Choose wisely," Daniel said, voice filled with mock warning, "I still need to take my pick of what to project during the slideshow when she gets married, hey."

Barry smiled humorously. "Uh, I know this is really last minute," he said, rubbing his hands together. He didn't know what to do with them. Join in a card game he didn't really want to play? Keep them on his knees? "I wanted to be sure you'd be able to come. Dad's coming over to Joe's place on Sunday for what he thinks is just a family dinner. Well, I guess it still is. Anyway, it's more of a 'welcome home' party. If you wanted to come…"

"Sounds like fun," Daniel spoke up before Averey could say anything. "How has he been doing?"

"Good. Fine." Barry nodded his head repeatedly. Averey's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked up at him through her eyelashes. She didn't say a word, just sorted the cards in her hands. "He's been calling me to ask about a lot of stuff," he said. "Stuff he's not used to of course. And he's been telling me everything he's been doing." Averey started to laugh. "What?"

"Habits die hard," she explained. "When you're inside, you have to tell the guards what you're doing all the time. Even if they don't ask. It's just normal for him."

"I reckon he also doesn't want you to worry, either, Barry," Ellie explained, carrying a tray of steaming mugs into the living room. "Tea's on." She offered tea first to her daughter and husband before turning towards Barry. "Barry?"

"No, but—" Barry stopped, remembering the last time he had turned down an offering for tea. Averey had practically poured it down his shirt. According to her, it was easier just to accept the offer, even if he didn't drink it. Tea always seemed to calm her, and it would stop his bouncing knees… "Yes, please. Thanks."

Ellie smiled, carefully handing him a cup. Then it was silent. Only the sounds of drinking, swallowing, and setting the mugs on the kitchen table occasionally broke the silence.

"Um, thanks, again, for inviting me over," Barry said, scratching at a spot behind his hear. "I appreciate it."

"Oh, of course. We enjoy having Averey's friends over." She looked up when a _beep, beep, beep_ filled the air. "Oh, it's time. It's time." Barry watched as she jumped to her feet and disappeared into the kitchen momentarily. She returned with a pair of scissors and brandished it to Averey with a flourish. "Let me go get your camera."

"Oh, mum," Averey said groaned. Barry watched her cheeks turn pink. "I already feel like I've made a goose of myself. We don't need pictures."

"You haven't done anything with your photography in a long time," Daniel said, setting the cards down onto the table. Barry's eyebrows furrowed. Ever since he had met Averey she had barely ever been without her camera. Daniel leaned back against the couch cushions. "You may want to remember this years from now."

"Believe me, I'll be remembering this for the rest of my life," Averey drawled. Barry caught her eye and held back a smile. He reached for a bottle of root beer and cracked it open, the _hiss_ of the carbonation releasing breaking the subsequent silence. The sweetness of the drink tightened his jaw muscles as he took in gulp after gulp.

"Ok, is everyone ready?" Ellie practically skipped as she hurried to rejoin the group. She lifted Averey's camera to her eye. "I hope I'm using this right."

Giving Barry a wide-eyed apologetic look, to which he smiled good naturedly, Averey planted her foot on the coffee table. Barry found himself leaning forward, almost as if to get a better look at the device. This was the first time he took the time to get a good look at it. It looked so inconspicuous. Almost like a sort of bracelet. Yet, it tethered her to the house.

Henry had holed himself up in his hotel room since his release, yet he had no visible chains on him. Emotional ones, sure. Then there was the weight he held in his heart. Keeping him focused on the day he could prove his dad's innocence. They weren't all that different. They all were tied to one spot in their lives.

"On three," Ellie directed. "Ok?" Barry looked over at Daniel who never moved from his position on the couch, watching with a proud smile. Barry removed his phone from his pocket and opened the camera. He set it to video mode and started recording. "One…two…three!"

 _Snip_. _Thud._

The ankle monitor dropped to the table with a heavy clatter. Daniel wet his lips and let out a shrill whistle. Averey massaged her free ankle with both hands. Ellie took picture after picture. Through it all, Barry smiled. Then he sent the video to everyone.

"What does this mean now?" Barry asked. "You're still on probation until the new year, right?"

"Mhm." Averey lifted the cut device and turned it over in her hands. "Free until Monday. Then I have to meet with my _new_ probation officer and get fitted with a radio monitor. From that point, it's just staying on the good side of the law until New Year's."

Barry slowly nodded, taking in her words.

"It took six months," Ellie said with a sigh, setting the camera down onto the table, "and it hasn't always been easy, but you did it. I'm so proud of you, Ava." Taking Averey's face in her hands, Ellie placed a series of kisses on to her forehead and the crown of her head. "So proud. In fact…" Releasing Averey's face (Barry hid his smile, watching as Averey used the palms of her hands to massage her cheeks), Ellie shuffled over to the shelf beside the TV filled with DVDs. She reached behind a row and carefully removed a small bag. "Surprise! Congratulations, Ava."

Averey took the bag and reached into it. "A new phone?" She turned the green cased smart phone around in her hands. "Really?"

"And it's all ready to go," Tucking her hair behind her ears, Ellie moved to sit down beside her husband. Daniel looped an arm around her shoulder, rubbing his hand up and down her arm. "A new number, but everything was transferred over. You were just complaining about how often your other mobile has been causing you so much trouble."

"And that's not all," Daniel said in his best announcer's voice. Removing his arm from around Ellie, he reached under the couch cushion between himself and Barry, retrieving a flat white box. "Here you go."

"Ah, cheers." Averey took the box from him, quickly working off the top. "Oh, a leather jacket." She held up the black material. She turned it this way and that. "Wow, thanks."

"All the cool kids in the gang have one, hey," Daniel said with a grin. "Figured, you deserved one, too."

"Ha, ha."

Daniel put his arm back around Ellie and whispered something in her ear. She smiled and accepted his kiss to the side of her head before nuzzling his neck.

"Uhhh, Bare." Averey jumped to her feet. In her haste to slide on her leather jacket, she ran her arm up the inside lining instead in the sleeve. Three times. "Let's go get some ice cream to make these into some root beer floats. Like, now." He stared at her. "Right now."

"Sure." If he hadn't felt uncomfortable since he set foot in the house, he was certainly feeling it now. If the look on Averey's face was any indication, so was she. Now was certainly a time where super speed would have come in handy – if he could use it. It didn't stop him from following Averey out of the house somewhere between a sprint and a jog.

"Sorry about that, mate," Averey said, unlocking the doors to the truck parked in the driveway. "My mum and dad can't get enough of each other." Climbing in the driver's seat, she pulled the door shut behind her, and adjusted her seat.

"That's ok." Barry watched for a moment as Averey hunched over in her seat and used her heels to pull herself closer to the steering wheel and pedals. "I can just run us into town, you know."

"You don't have to do everything fast, Barry," Averey replied, starting up the car. "Enjoy life in the slow lane every once in a while."

A short while later, the two of them were slowly traversing downtown Central City, ice cream cones in hand. Conversation ebbed and flowed between the two of them, mainly sticking with Henry. Was that really all they could talk about now?

Between lulls in conversation, Barry took the time to really look at every building and establishment they had passed. Barry had never taken the time to look over the city this way; slowly, deliberately. He always had charged through, cleaning and rebuilding wherever he could. He knew he had made progress, but he had never really stopped to see just how far the city had come in the past six months.

"Have you talked with Eddie's parents, yet?" Barry asked. He bought his time waiting for an answer by dragging his tongue around the edge of his ice cream. He smacked his lips as he swallowed.

Averey shook her head back and forth, lifting her wrist to her mouth to lick away a dribble of melted ice cream. "Josephine couldn't figure out how to FaceTime – she said Eddie was the one who would help with any tech problems – and she started getting upset so…" She shrugged. "It's probably easier to meet them now, anyway."

She suddenly turned towards a shop door, nearly thrusting her ice cream cone into Barry's chest. Fumbling, he successfully managed to balance it in his hand. With a short burst of speed, he slipped through the door behind her before it swung back shut. The smell of warm bread, and the sweet smell of frosting reached his nose. They were in a bakery.

"Why are we here?" Barry asked. He then spotted a display case. "Oh, my god, are those beignets? I love beignets."

"This is the bakery Eddie had bought those cupcakes from," Averey explained, pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head. "I remember the label on the box." She slapped her palm atop the bell that sat on the counter. Repeatedly.

"Can I help you?" a man, whose apron was covered in flower, asked as he walked out from the back of the building. "I'm Nick."

"Yes, uh, we were hoping you could answer a few questions for us," Barry said, slipping into his Iris dubbed "police voice." He handed Averey back her ice cream cone. "My friend," he ignored the lift of Averey's eyebrow, "had gotten a delivery of cupcakes a while back. There was a note written on the lid, congratulating her about some, uh, legal issues."

Nick's eyes narrowed in thought.

"A little help," Barry said out of the corner of his mouth.

"' _Congratulations on your freedom_ '," Averey recited, "' _a little earlier than usual, but it's the thought that counts. I've got this round_ '."

"Oh, yes, I remember." Nick nodded his head, leaning against the counter. "I get all sorts of notes, but I don't judge."

"We'd like to know more about the person that had paid for this order," Barry said. "What he looked like. Did he give you a name, perhaps?"

Nick let out a low whistle. "This order was placed well in advance," he explained. "I remember this man was very peculiar, though. He didn't leave a way for him to get in contact once the order was completed and I had received confirmation for delivery."

Barry and Averey exchanged glances.

"Mate, if I may ask, how far in advance?" Averey asked.

"Um…" Nick looked up towards the ceiling. He stroked his chin. "Late May." Her jerked his thumb towards the windows. "Right before downtown exploded." He shook his head. "Luckily, my shop wasn't hit as hard, but, man, there are some good people who had to do a lot of work around here. Thank God for the Flash, huh?"

Averey toasted the air with her ice cream cone. "For sure."

Barry did a double take. His grip tightened on the ice cream in his hand. The cone broke with a loud _crack_. "I'm sorry…May?" He took the napkins that Nick offered to him and quickly mopped up the ice cream that started slipping into his palm. "Thanks, thank you – did you say _late May_?"

"Yeah, late May," Nick agreed with a nod. "We get a lot of orders around that time, what with graduation and Mother's Day, but I remember every single one. They're all important."

Barry's eyes fell shut. His stomach clenched. Graduation ceremonies. Just another thing that was ruined because of Dr. Wells. And Mother's Day…

"Like I said, the most peculiar thing was that he didn't leave a way to get in contact with him. Didn't even leave a name for the order slip. I understand wanting to be Anonymous, but we still like to follow up with our clients." He waved a hand in the air. "Seems like it all worked out, right?"

"Yeah," Averey agreed. "Well, thanks. Sorry for bothering you, mate." She grabbed Barry's arm, pulling him towards the door. She shouted a "Your cupcakes are great", as they left.

"We couldn't at least have gotten a beignet?" Barry asked, pointing over his shoulder with his ice cream cone. He frowned when a drop landed on his shoulder, and quickly ate the rest of it. "What was that about?"

"Mate," Averey struck Barry with a significant look, "you and I have both seen Eddie around town. If that order was placed recently—"

"It would have proven that he's actually alive," Barry finished for her, wiping his hands with his napkin. "But it said that he had placed it back in late May." He pressed his lips together. "He knew he wouldn't make it. He knew he was going to take his own life." He started ripping the napkin into pieces. _There wasn't anything I could do to stop him. He had already had his mind made up. Maybe Ronnie and Professor Stein did, too. They knew the consequences and they did it anyway._

The two stood on the sidewalk in silence.

"I know I saw him," Averey whispered. "I know I did. Daniel reckons it's just grief but…"

Barry chuckled. "Joe thinks it's possible we've seen him," he explained, "but that's only because he's seen so much more impossible things happen around here." Averey cracked a smile. "But, if he was back, why wouldn't he come see us? He knows how things are at S.T.A.R. Labs. We could help him or something."

Averey shrugged. "Figured he'd go straight to Iris to be honest," she replied. His eyebrows furrowed. "People are creatures of habit."

"That's what Patty was saying," Barry said. At Averey's confused look, he gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I forgot. She's new to the CCPD, Joe's new partner on the Task Force. Not officially, she doesn't _really_ start until Monday."

"She was the officer who had been abducted by that meta."

"Sand Demon," Barry nodded, "yeah. She's ok. A little shaken up, but still wants to get back on the job. Yeah, anyway, she was the one who had found Sand Demon – Eddie Slick – by waiting to see when he would turn up at any of his previous places of residence."

"Hmmm." Averey looked thoughtful. "And she hasn't said anything to you? Iris? Or are things still—" Making a noise with her mouth, she lifted her hand, wiggling her fingers "—between you two?"

Barry opened his mouth and closed it. He had chalked it up to the increasing amount of work they had, and the intrusive media that put a strain on things. They had just started getting back to normal and things were now tense again. Iris, normally talkative, and the one to try and get _him_ to talk during meals was now just as sullen as he was. A simple "I'm fine" or "Just thinking" would be the answer to his probe. On the one hand, it worried him. They could always talk about things. On the other, it was exactly how he had acted in the past few months and knew that she needed her space.

"Did you figure anything out about this Network?" Barry asked, changing the subject. Averey's lips twitched, but she complied, falling into step beside him when he started walking again

"No, and I even asked Felicity to check things out for me. Even she couldn't figure anything out." She snapped her fingers. "But, if you really want to meet up with Melanie, I have an idea of where you could find her, speaking of habit. It's in Keystone but it's not exactly…" She pursed her lips, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "What's the word I'm looking for here?"

"Legal?" Barry offered. Averey smiled wryly, her face illuminated by the lights of the movie theater marquee they walked by. She lifted a finger and tapped the top of her sunglasses, and they slid into place over her eyes. "Ave."

"I never said I did it," she protested. "Technically, we never went."

"Went where?"

"Mel, a few flat mates, and I would watch street races in Keystone. You can find a decent overlook to watch if you know where to go. She'd probably still hang about."

"I'll keep that in mind." But could he really trust this Melanie? "You said Melanie always finds you?" he said. Averey nodded. "The next time she turns up, if she does before I try and find her myself, tell me. Whatever it is she has to say to you, she can say it to me."

"You got it."

Barry shoved his hands into his pockets. He briefly glanced up at the list of movies that were playing before looking out over the crowd of excited patrons waiting to by tickets without a care in the world. It was just another reminder of everything his dad had missed while stuck in Iron Heights.

Movies had always been a weekend treat with the Allen family. After a long week of school, it was something he could look forward to. There was just something so magical about a trip to the movies. When Henry had scrolled through the countless channels on the hotel provided TV and saw names he didn't recognize, he was optimistic about it.

"I won't run out of things to watch, that's for sure," Henry had said. He squinted over the edges of his glasses. They were perched at the end of his nose. "There's a lot of choices."

Barry's stomach had done an odd lurch at that moment. Choice. Something his father hadn't had in a long time.

Even deciding what to order from room service was a long ordeal. One that had almost left Henry in tears. There was just so many things he could choose from to order, none of them he knew if he would like it or not. So, he stuck with something simple: eggs, bacon, and potatoes. Barry decided to order the same thing. His stomach had growled in protest, he needed more to eat than a single plate, but he wasn't going to make Henry any more uncomfortable then he already was.

"Kendra, hey." Barry snapped back to attention at the sudden lift to Averey's tone. He watched as she stepped up to a taller woman who was standing in line, waiting to buy tickets. "How are you?"

"Better knowing I got the Jitters job," Kendra said with a smile. Averey gasped, clapping her hands together. "Yeah, I just got word early this afternoon." Kendra lifted her purse strap up her shoulder and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm treating myself to a movie to celebrate. I've been looking for a job since I arrived in town. I really need something to stay afloat."

"When did you move here, anyway?" Averey asked. "If you don't mind my asking."

"The day of the singularity if you could believe it," Kendra replied. Averey gaped at her. "Yeah, I know. It wasn't the ideal time to look at starting over…" She sighed happily. "But, here I am. Trying to make it work." Her eyes shifted over to Barry. "Hi."

"Oh, sorry." Averey hit herself in the forehead with the palm of her hand. "Barry, this is Kendra Saunders, Kendra, this is Barry Allen. I met her at the Flash Day rally."

"Nice to meet you," Barry said, shaking Kendra's hand. "Why Central City?"

"I don't know, really," Kendra replied. "I just needed a change. I've never really stayed in one place for too long." She chuckled quietly. "Felt like I just needed to move, you know?" Brushing her hair behind her ears, she shyly said, "It was almost like I needed to come here. Change of scenery. Some new excitement."

"You'll definitely get that here," Barry said. "Central City is chock full of excitement."

"It's not the Flash can't handle, I'm sure," Kendra said. "I'll admit I was worried about moving here after seeing all that happen, but knowing he's around makes me feel safe."

Barry smiled to himself. "So, uh, what movie are you looking to see?" he asked.

Kendra's face turned pink. She shrugged her shoulders and kicked at the ground with the toe of her show. "Anything with a happy ending," she replied. "Just call me a romantic. I know Rom-Coms are so cheesy but, I love them."

"Musicals are my movie of choice," Barry said. "If you're looking for romance, you should start there. And they're timeless. They bring up issues that we can relate to now." While he conversed with Kendra over movies, he watched Averey out of the corner of his eye, noticing how quiet, and how still, she had become. Occasionally, she would nod along to what they were saying, otherwise, she was standing incredibly still. Muscles tensed. Then she parted her lips.

"Hey, Black Forest Ham," Averey called, voice carrying over Kendra and Barry's conversation. A man with a pointed black goatee standing apart from the line of moviegoers jumped. "Can we help you with something?"

"Black Forest Ham?" Barry repeated.

"He's got a _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_ vibe about him," Averey explained with a frown. "Jim Carrey version of course."

Barry watched the man step further into the warm glow cast by street lamps, smiling nervously. "Sorry," he said, fumbling with his hands. He put them in his pockets. Then removed them and put them in his coat pockets. Removed them again and left them hanging by his sides. "Sorry. I didn't mean to…you look so familiar." His eyes never left Kendra's. "Chay-Ara. It's so nice to see you."

"Um, I'm Kendra?" Kendra frowned, leaning slightly away from the man. "Who are you?"

"My apologies." The man took a small step back, abashed. "I mistook you for someone I know." He sighed. "You just look so much like her."

"Sorry." Kendra's frown deepened.

"No. I'm sorry."

Barry took a small step forward, placing himself further in front of Kendra and Averey. "I hope you find who you're looking for," he said. The man barely glanced in his direction. All trace of embarrassment was gone from his face. Barry lifted his eyebrows.

"The thing is," he said evenly. Slowly, he lifted a hand and stroked his goatee. "I believe I have," he set his gaze back on Kendra, "found _exactly_ who I'm looking for."

"You called her Chay-Ara, her names Kendra," Averey said. "You have the wrong person."

Kendra screamed and suddenly tipped forward as if shoved from behind. She barely had time to throw her arms out to stop herself from colliding with the ground. Barry reacted, and everything slowed down Lightning crackled off his shoes, waiting to aid him in his speed. Averey, whose shoulder took a port of the hit, spun to the side, falling towards the ground. Standing above the two of them, was an all-black, faceless figure, holding Kendra's purse in talon-like fingers. Barry's eyes dropped downwards to where the figure's feet connected with the ground and…continued along the ground, stopping at the edges of the man's feet.

"What the…?" Barry rushed towards the figure. He leapt off the ground in a tackle. A cool wave washed over him as he went _through_ the figure's body and landed hard on the concrete. Time went back to normal and screams hit the air. Movie patrons were pushing and shoving each other, trying to run down the street and into the movie theater. "Ugh."

The man cackled, beckoning the figure with a finger. Silently, the figure stepped over Kendra and Averey and over to the man. Smiling in satisfaction, the man took the purse and rooted through it. Throwing out a packet of tissues, a bag with a browning apple core, and a loose change, the man found her wallet and tucked it into his pocket.

"Thing is, this would have been so much easier if you just cooperated," he said, throwing the purse strap over his shoulder. "I was a nice guy. I never even threatened you."

"Unfortunately," Barry said, rolling into his stomach. He pushed himself up to his knees. "I don't think that bag is your style."

"Funny, I think it has everything I could ever want in it." The man lifted his hand and gave Barry a two-fingered salute. Barry leaned forward, ready to push off into a run, and stopped when he watched the black figure slowly sink into the ground. A second later, it was flat against the ground, and took its place as the man's shadow. "Ta." The shadow, and the man started off at a quick pace.

"Hey, my purse!" Kendra shouted. "Oh, man."

Barry helped Averey pull Kendra to her feet and over to a bench outside of the movie theater. "Stay here," he said to the two of them. "I'll be right back."

"You're not going after him," Kendra said, looking up at Barry in alarm.

"I have to try," Barry said. He quickly shuffled away from Kendra's eyesight and burst after the man, wind whistling in his ears. Down the street he ran. Everything froze as he soared past it. He came upon a group of pedestrians, and looked at each face as he passed, until he spotted the man, rounding the corner. Frozen in space. Barry zipped in front of him and the man nearly collided with his chest. "Hold it!"

"Don't think so, kid." The man threw the purse at Barry, and Barry scrambled to catch it. In his haste to do so, the man slipped past him and down an alley way. Gritting his teeth, Barry chased after him and quickly bent backwards out of the way of a metal trash can lid that went flying at his face. It clattered to the ground behind him, scraping on the sidewalk. "Nice reflexes."

Barry straightened, and found the man rushing towards him, another trash can lid held up as if it was a shield. A blast of purple light shot through the air and hit the lid, ricocheting back in his direction, and knocking the trash can out of the man's hand.

"Watch it!" Two arms wrapped around Barry's stomach, pulling him to the ground. The blast shot over their heads and struck a mail box. It exploded on impact, sending burnt and flaming letters through the air. "Sorry. Could have taken your head off."

"Ave." Barry scrambled to his feet. "What are you doing? How'd you get here so fast?"

"Saving your bum, and uh, you're not the only one who knows how to run, mate," Averey said, giving him an odd look. "I couldn't just sit there and not try and help you with the meta."

"I told you to stay with Kendra," Barry said. "He could be dangerous."

Averey threw her hands into the air in a "duh" fashion. She looked like she was about to kick some sense into him.

…With her un-monitored foot.

"I'd love to stay and watch you two argue," the man spoke up, "but I have to go."

Barry snapped his attention back to the man, who was taking deliberate steps backward. His lips parted in a wicked smile and he laughed, a deep laugh. When his back was just about to hit the brick wall behind him, his shadow stretched up the wall, growing bigger and bigger until it was a large dome behind him. Then, the man stepped back into the shadow and disappeared.

"Whoa," Barry whispered. Averey jumped forward and ran to the wall, sliding her hands over the brick. It had become solid once more. "Ave. Come on, he's gone."

"No." Averey shook her head back and forth and started pressing on the wall as if trying to push it over. "No. I can do this. I can."

"Averey." Barry stepped up behind her and grabbed her arm. "Let's go. That's it." He licked his lips, trying to wrap his head around what he had just seen. "He got away…somehow."

"No, Barry, you don't understand." Averey turned to face him. In the dark of the alleyway, she lifted her sunglasses away from her eyes. "I think I've done that. That shadow thing." Barry blinked. "I think that's how I had gotten out of S.T.A.R. Labs during the singularity. And, there were a few other instances. I don't know, mate, I can't really explain it."

"I—what?" Barry asked. "Really?"

Averey nodded earnestly. "I think so," she replied. "I would have said something earlier, but it wouldn't have been any good."

"How do you mean?" They started walking back to the movie theater.

"I could only have two people over while on house arrest," Averey reminded him. "You and Cisco, Cisco and Caitlin, you and Caitlin, it all would have been fine. Only, I wouldn't have been able to explain any of the equipment brought over or why it's there. My mum and dad don't know I'm a meta."

"And you wouldn't have been able to come to S.T.A.R. Labs," Barry added, quickly catching on. He pushed his fingers into his hair. "Ok, ok, let's get everything with Kendra sorted out. Then we can figure out what happened." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "How did you know he-?"

"Nervousness. Body language." Averey checked the scrapes on the palms of her hands and her elbows. "I could see his carotid artery pulsing like a bloody strobe light. He was trying to not be noticed."

"If he was trying not to be noticed, he shouldn't have robbed her with people around."

"Unless it's how he gets his rocks off." Averey snorted. "Thing is, he was pulling odd facial expressions. Almost comical, really, if he wasn't standing in the bloody shadows."

Barry let out a dry laugh. "Seems to me that's where he thrives."

"Too right."

Kendra was nervously chewing on her fingernails when Barry and Averey rejoined her. Her face fell when she saw them returning without her purse. "I'm sorry," Barry apologized. "I tried."

"Thanks anyway," Kendra said.

"Barry is with the CCPD, ok?" Averey sat down beside Kendra. "We'll work this out."

"No, no, I had everything in there," Kendra cried. "My ID, my license, my social security card, my birth certificate. I went to Human Resources today. I just never removed it from my purse." She hit herself in the forehead. "I'm so stupid!"

"No, you're not." Barry crouched down in front of Kendra. "You got a job and you were excited, that's all. You never expected to be robbed." Kendra sniffed, nodding her head. "But, Averey's right. I'm with the police," Barry said. Kendra looked at him in disbelief. "I promise I am. I'm just off duty. We'll get this sorted out." He looked Averey in the eye and used his head to indicate for her to follow him.

"What's up?" she asked as he removed his phone from his pocket.

"I have to call this in, and it's going to be a lot of paper work," he said, pressing his phone to his ear "meet me at S.T.A.R. Labs tomorrow?"

"Done."

As the phone rang in Barry's ear, he blinked at her quick response. "You're just off house arrest, you don't have any plans with your parents?" he asked.

"Sure." Averey briefly smiled. "But, where else would I want to go?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Ahh, it feels good to get another chapter out. Like I said, last one was centered more on Barry and now this one is more on Averey. Next chapter, you'll see Team Flash back together (in the same room, anyway) again. My apologies for the delay. So much life stuff, so little motivation, and all that jazz. We'll be getting back with Henry and Cisco, and Jay and everyone real soon.

On another note, what did you all think of the Flash finale? And what did you think of Season 4 as a whole?

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Something you didn't understand and need further explanation on? Overall thoughts? Please leave a review. I appreciate every piece of feedback.

-Rhuben

 **Review replies:**

 _Ethan:_ You were on the right track regarding staking out Eddie. Good job! Yes, you are correct, Eddie is still alive. I'm so excited for everyone to see what I have planned with Jay and Malcolm (Malcolm a tad bit more, if I'm being honest) and how it all comes to play with each member of Team Flash (especially Barry and Averey). Thanks for reading as always.

 _Gods-Own:_ Yes, it was Malcolm that Barry and Averey have been seeing the whole time. I'm curious to see what your reaction is to that piece of information and this chapter, too.

 _Spinquin412:_ I'm glad you liked it. I had a few options on how I was going to have Iris reacting to seeing someone who looked like Eddie on her door step. Denial, and quick acting, I think is a pretty good choice. We'll see how that all came to pass in the next chapter.


	11. In a World Like This

**Chapter Eleven:** In a World Like This

* * *

"This…" Malcolm, covered in his navy-blue suit, indicated the screen on the phone in his hands. Slowly stepping in front of each cowering person in front of him, he made sure they got a good look at the video that played. "This is what happens when you defy orders. If you don't get to the Flash, well…" He turned the phone in towards himself and watched Atom Smasher and Sand Demon die over, and over again. "I'll let the video speak for itself."

Jay, in full Zoom persona, lifted himself to his full height. Blue lightning crackled menacingly from his body. Even Malcolm could feel the har on the back of his neck, his arms, lifting as Jay walked past him. "Don't fail me," he spoke slowly, with a growl, "and you will be released…unharmed."

"Please. Please, just let us go." Jay stopped in mid-step. Slowly turned his head towards the man that dared to speak. The man fell to the floor, lifting his arms over his head when Zoom suddenly appeared in front of him. The chains tethering his handcuffed wrists to the floor only allowed him to move so far.

"You have two choices." His words extended with each breath, his esses hissing like a mad snake. "Fight with me or die." He pointed a clawed finger to the wall. "Many have already joined my side. They have seen the way."

"Mr. Slick thought he could outsmart us," Malcolm added. "He put his family in harm's way, just to save himself. It would have saved them a lot of time and heartache. Look where he's at now. Look where you all are." Silence filled the room. "You all would not be here if you had cooperated with Zoom's original request."

"Now I ask again, who will come forward?" Zoom asked. "Defeat the Flash and gain your freedom."

Malcolm grit his teeth behind his mask. No takers. Of course. No matter. He had spent all this time tracking them down for Zoom. All that time spent learning their routines, who they associate with, and what their abilities were, he could decide for them who was the next candidate. It was just easier and was less noise inducing. Noise like begging, pleading, crying, shrieking, desperate screams for help, and so much more. It was all just a wall of noise. Noise he would do everything in his power to silence it.

"You." He pointed a gloved finger at a woman in the far corner.

"No, no, no, please." Pulling her knees to her chest, she tried to make herself small. "Just let me go. I'll join you guys, I promise."

"You had your chance," Jay growled.

Malcolm turned towards Jay. "Linda Park," he explained, "is a photokinesis meta. Fittingly, she works mainly at night, harboring her abilities from the stars. Has a history of theft which her abilities no doubts aides her. The heat of the lights she emits can cut through metal."

"The magnitude of such a light source…" Jay's boots squeaked with each slow step he took towards Linda. Malcolm watched as each prisoner shuffled as far away from Jay as he could get. Straining against the cuffs on their hands, he was sure some of them would even break their wrists just to try and distance themselves from him. "You could blind someone. Permanently."

 _And to run fast, you need to see where you're going_ , Jay reasoned to himself. Which was why she was the perfect candidate. Not to mention there was another meta with, what he suspected from the information given, extensive flash burn of the eyes… Getting rid of them both would be a piece of cake with Linda's help. Then Central City would be under Jay's control. Then he could go and carry out his own plan unnoticed.

"I think she's the perfect choice," Malcolm said.

A moment later, Linda was flying across the room. The line of chains that held her to the floor had been severed and clattered to the floor behind her, twisting like a snake along the floor.

"Release her," Jay commanded.

Malcolm flexed his wrist. Once it was engulfed in flames, he wrapped his fingers around the handcuffs. With a tug, they split in two. A second tug released the chain holding them together. Linda massaged her wrists with her hands, looking back and forth between Jay and Malcolm. Malcolm's blue flames were reflected in the whites of her eyes, illuminating her face and the fear etched upon it. Spotting movement in Linda's eyes, he quickly side-stepped Jay who rushed forward and grabbed Linda by the throat, lifting her into the air.

"Kill the Flash," Jay warned, ignoring Linda's chokes and gasps for air. Her fingers clawing and tugging at his wrist, legs kicking towards him were futile. "Or don't bother returning." He momentarily relaxed his grip on her before slamming her harder against the wall. "When it's done, I want proof." Face steadily turning a deep shade of red, Linda rapidly nodded her head. Still, Jay squeezed her neck tighter.

"That's enough," Malcolm said. "You've made your point."

At first, it didn't look like Jay was going to listen to him. Then, he jerked his hand away from Linda and she fell to the floor in a heap. Hand grasping her neck, she took in wheezing gasp after wheezing gasp of air. Jay zipped across the room, coming to a stop in front of Malcolm, glaring into his eyes with glittering black ones. Malcolm didn't flinch. Even when Jay swung his hand upwards towards his face, as if to backslap him. A portal opened behind him.

"Make sure he's ready for the procedure," Jay said. "Report back to me."

Malcolm calmly turned around and jumped into the swirling mass. Briefly, he felt like he was being squeezed in from all sides and pulled apart all at the same time. An instant later, he was standing in an alleyway in the middle of Central City of this new Earth.

Gripping his cowl, he pulled it up and away from his head, sighing when the tight material was removed. He pressed a hand to his chest. Flames ate away at his suit until it was replaced with a button-down shirt, dark dress pants, and black shoes. Why this world's Thawne wanted a profession where he had to dress like this every day was beyond him.

Nevertheless, he moved to do as he was told. Whatever he could do to keep any suspicion and second glances away from him. His outburst to defend Linda probably didn't do him any favors. In fact, he didn't exactly know where it had come from. He suddenly had this overwhelming feeling that the violence being thrown in her direction wasn't needed; just by looking at her, he knew she would agree to do what was asked of her. Excessive force wasn't needed in the situation. Yet, it was how Jay, or Zoom rather, operated.

Half an hour later, Malcolm found himself sitting at an outdoor table at a café. Scrolling through the phone in his hands, he shook his head back and forth. There were so many things people could be doing to make names for themselves and they spent all their time with their heads in their phones. And here he was doing the same thing. Back where he came from, everyone knew his name. It was the _other one_ that didn't get attention, if at all.

Malcolm barely looked up from his phone when the chair across the table from him scraped against the concrete. Or when the structure creaked as it bore the weight of the man sitting upon it. Clearing his throat, Wade Eiling was clearly demanding his attention, but Malcolm was not easily intimidated. In fact, his response would not be one that Eiling would have liked had he not tensed his muscles to try and hide it.

"Got any more metas for me to work on?" General Eiling asked. As he waited for Malcolm to put down his phone, he cleared his throat a second time.

"One," Malcolm replied. "You'll get her, don't worry." He set his phone down and finally looked General Eiling in the eye. "As long as the Flash lives and breathes, you'll have plenty of people to work with."

"Yeah, well, I better," Eiling grumbled, shifting in his seat. "I've got a lot riding on these projects. Iron Heights isn't giving me as much information as I need."

"All in due time." Malcolm waved his hand in the air. "The Flash just has to stop killing every single one of them we throw his way."

General Eiling's eyebrows lifted. "Is that so?" he asked. "Sounds like that boy has finally grew a pair." He rubbed his chin. "Interesting." He looked Malcolm up and down. "Anyway, coming back from the dead has done you some good, Detective. Any changes?"

Malcolm slowly blinked. "No."

"Well, you never know," General Eiling explained. "It wasn't too long ago some other people thought to have passed showed up…differently." A smile came to his face. "And now that I don't have Harrison Wells looking over my head…"

Malcolm lifted an eyebrow. "I thought you were partners."

"Old times, Thawne, old times." General Eiling adjusted his camouflage coat. He removed his hat and placed it on the table, sweeping his fingers through his hair. "That was back when Dr. Wells actually believed in working with people. He was only out for himself. It was only a matter of time until everyone figured that out."

"Grief changes people," Malcolm said. "His wife had passed in a terrible accident, didn't she?"

"Yes, yes, that was traffic." General Eiling sounded so blasé about it, Malcolm nearly did a double take. "When you've been in the army as long as I have, son, death just becomes a way of life. It is all tragic of course but."

"Of course." Malcolm had to agree. His time working with Jay, death wasn't something they could bypass. It came with the territory of conquering different worlds. "But, you and Dr. Wells—"

"Whatever work agreement we had was kyboshed a long time ago!" General Eiling's voice grew even more gruff as he slammed his fist onto the table. The napkin container rattled. "The military funded a lot of those experiments. Wasted! It was all wasted. All those projects just abandoned. We were going to do great things, me and him."

"And you're out for helping mankind." Malcolm laughed. This guy couldn't be serious. General Eiling could preach about wanting to create a strong military force, which was a noble desire. It was clear, it was not his only goal. If Malcolm was only getting a glimpse of what projects the military could and would partake in, he was curious to know what else they were hiding in plain sight. "Why all the tests?"

"Let me ask you something, son—"

"I'm not your son."

General Eiling's lips parted slightly. He slowly nodded his head. "Why do you need these metahumans tracked?" He started tapping his fingers on the table. "Why do you need our services?"

Malcolm leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out in front of him. "You want metas to test," he said, folding his hands over his stomach, "and I want to know make sure the ones I bring you are where they're supposed to be." His lips formed a mirthless smile. "It's a win-win situation."

General Eiling's eyes narrowed before he relaxed in his chair. He chuckled. "I like the cut of your jib, Thawne," he declared. "With that Task Force you had created, I knew you would see what we're trying to accomplish is better for mankind." He slowly shook his head. "It's just too bad Wells didn't understand that." Malcolm noted that he didn't sound so upset over it.

"Oh," Malcolm smiled, "I understand perfectly."

And when it all came down to it, when Eiling would demand an explanation, Malcolm would just draw on the generla's own words: it was nothing personal.

* * *

Jay pushed himself to run as fast as he possibly could. Compared to any average man, he was still fast. Now it was just so slow and boring. Who knew pretending to be as slow as molasses was such a hard thing to do? He just had to remind himself it was all part of the plan.

"Ok, you can stop now."

At Caitlin's voice, Jay slapped his palm against the large red button on the treadmill. He slowed his leg rotations in time with the machine. After he wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, he grabbed a towel and blotted at the sweat on his bare chest. He met Dr. Caitlin Snow halfway through the room. With a tilt of her head, she motioned for him to sit in the chair situated in the room.

As if the viewing window wasn't enough, she wanted a close-up look at the oddity. Not that he really could blame her. This place was just like all the others, yet so different. Some changes were little, others big and instantly noticeable. This Central City was hopeful, and on its way to becoming the scientific dynamo Jay knew it could be. It was almost annoyingly optimistic.

 _Won't be that way for long,_ Jay thought to himself with a satisfied smile. He shuddered; shoulders lifting towards his jawline when something cold pressed into his back.

"Sorry." Jay noticed that Dr. Snow didn't sound apologetic at all. In fact, pushing the ice-cold stethoscope to his back a second time, he swore he could hear her chuckle at his second violent flinch. "Breathe deep, please."

Gritting his teeth, Jay obliged. "Is this all necessary?"

"Yes."

"I told you again and again-"

"I know. But, we've, _Barry_ , has been told that before." She continued to press the stethoscope to his body first around his back, to his side, his front, to the other side, and finally to his back again. "And stop talking."

"I'm just saying—"

"I said stop talking." Jay lifted an eyebrow. Who was she to boss him around? "I can't get a good idea of your lung capacity if you keep talking."

"I can assure you, I have an above average reading regarding my lung capacity and blood oxygen levels – look, Dr. Snow, you don't think I haven't run tests on myself after I got my abilities?" Jay asked. "I have also been checking these levels since coming through the breach."

"It's not your abilities I'm concerned with. It's how you lost them I'm curious about."

"I don't know what happened exactly." Jay allowed his voice to soften. "I don't know if Zoom…or maybe coming through the breach…" He lowered his shoulders. "I've been spending the past six months trying to understand what exactly has been going on." He lifted his hands and gazed down at his palms. Caitlin grabbed his hand, the forward move startling him until he realized she was pressing the end of her stethoscope to his wrist. She was checking his pulse.

"I understand," Caitlin replied. "To have your life changed so drastically and not understand what happened, or how…"

Jay's eyebrows narrowed. Nothing he had seen, nor had been reported to him, over the past few months indicated that she was anything like him. Maybe his research had been off. No. He was never wrong. So, what was she talking about?

"I'm sorry," Jay said, "I didn't realize. None of my research on you guys – and please forgive me for how I came upon this information – indicated that you were like me, Dr. Snow." Caitlin's eyebrows furrowed. "A meta-human."

"Oh, no, I'm not." Caitlin's soft chuckle sounded loud in the otherwise silent room. "My fiancé, or my husband rather—"

"Ronnie." Jay took the seat Dr. Snow indicated for him to have. She gave him a look that was part surprised and part caught off guard. "Sorry. I learned a lot about you guys."

"How much do you know?"

"As much as I needed to know, Dr. Snow."

"Caitlin." She looped the stethoscope around her neck.

Jay slowly nodded and repeated, "Caitlin."

"Dr. Snow," Caitlin snapped on a pair of latex glove, "was who I used to be. When I was entirely focused on my work. Before I met Ronnie." He allowed her to force his head to the side as she checked his head for bumps, bruises, and scrapes. "He helped me understand it was ok to be friends with co-workers and to not be so…"

"Uptight?" Jay asked.

Caitlin frowned, forcing his head back up to a straightened position. Her mouth twisted to the side, and she frowned. "The importance of academics was always spoken of around my house. This was an important job, and I got it because I was so focused on my work. I just wanted to do it to the best of my ability. Better than my best." She started palpating under his jaw, down his shoulders. Her fingers froze just slightly when he tensed his muscles, stopping the sudden shiver that threatened to roll down his spine. "After Ronnie died – when we _thought_ he died – I went back to that. Work distracted me from it all. Before long, I met Barry and now all of this…" She shook her head. "I'm not Dr. Snow anymore. You can call me Caitlin."

"Thank you. So, Ronnie was the meta?"

Caitlin's lips twitched. "I thought you knew everything," she commented. Jay lifted the right side of his mouth into a smile. "Ronnie was fused with Professor Stein because of the dark matter wave and became Firestorm – hands out, please." Jay stretched his arms out in front of him. Caitlin pressed down on his fingernails and watched the blood move back into its place. She nodded. "With two minds battling to take charge of one body, he didn't know what was going on, what happened, or who to turn to. His life, everyone's lives, changed that night. Every day we try to learn more about all of this."

"So, my research has led me to the right place," Jay said. He nodded, pleased with himself.

"If you want to call it that," Caitlin replied. "Research, I mean. Cisco calls it stalking." Her lips lifted into a very brief smile. "Stand up."

Jay placed his hands on his knees and got to his feet. He forgot how much it hurt to run so fast for so long. He nearly keeled over from the strain on his burning muscles. Caitlin grabbed onto his arm to help steady him. "My legs haven't felt like this since I was hit by the explosion in my lab."

"You mean like Barry?" Caitlin asked, gazing up at him in alarm. "You gained our abilities while in your lab?"

"I guess so," Jay replied with a shrug. "Only, I didn't work for the police department on my Earth. And I wasn't struck by lightning. Though, I am a scientist by trade."

"Really?"

"Chemistry and Physics to be more specific," Jay explained. "But, I wasn't struck by lightning. I wasn't working with chemicals. Though I was using radiation. Maybe that interacted with the dark matter."

"What were you using radiation for?"

"Purifying water." He gently slapped himself in the forehead with his hand. "Of course. Water. Lightning. The Speed Force, it all connects. Anyway, I was working, and I saw this bright light and then I was the light. It wasn't until I came out of my coma that I figured out I was different." His lips twitched. "I guess that sounds like what happened with Barry."

"There was a particle accelerator accident on your Earth?" Caitlin asked. Jay nodded. "If you had been struck by lightning, you would have had a Lichtenberg figure from the point of entry to where it exited. Barry had some, but due to his rapid healing, it had only lasted about an hour." She stepped behind him. "I'm just looking for symmetry and seeing your breathing from the back."

"Dark matter was released through the city, yes," Jay explained. He cleared his throat, feeling her thumbs slide up his back on either side of his spine. "Which is why it's so confusing. From what I can understand, the breaches don't have anything to do with the dark matter. Nor do they have any properties to remove it."

"That's why we're conducting all of these tests," Caitlin said. "I know you're getting tired of them."

"I guess I don't have much of a poker face." Jay gave a hint of a sheepish smile. "Look, I understand that this is all necessary, and I understand why you can't take me at my word, but I feel as if I have proven myself."

"You had a concussive bomb blow up in your face," Caitlin said, "excuse me for wanting to make sure there are no lingering effects _because_ you don't have your abilities."

"Oh." _Duh, Jay._

"Not to mention, for someone who does not have their abilities anymore, you still have been healing faster than I've been expecting." Jay blinked. Of course, once he did get his speed back from Malcolm, his regenerative ability would kick in as soon as possible. _Just stay calm. She doesn't know you have your speed right now._ "As far as I'm concerned mister Garrick—"

"Because you're allowing me to call you Caitlin, Jay is just fine."

"Jay." Caitlin brushed her hair back from her face and looked him in the eye. "Right."

Rats. She wasn't going to switch from the subject.

"As far as I'm concerned, and I don't know how much my words are worth, but you've proven yourself to me. You're the only one who has any information on Zoom, and if he's really a threat to us, we are really in no position to shut you out."

"I appreciate that. Truly. Your words carry more weight than you think."

Caitlin smiled. "You're welcome. I also want to commend you on your actions the other day. You don't have your abilities and you still did what you could to help Barry rescue Patty."

"Habit by now, I guess," Jay said, pushing a bashful laugh past his lips. "Barry was the one who thought of tricking Sand Demon by having me tag along, so he should take the credit. He really is intelligent. I don't think I would have ever thought of it." He cleared his throat. "I must say I disagree with your words, though."

"What do you mean?"

"You and Cisco showed real bravery. Unlike what occurred on my Earth, you took responsibility for what had occurred with the particle accelerator."

"It was the right thing to do. That's all."

At the sound of a knock, Caitlin turned to see Cisco leaning against the door frame. He rested a fist on the frame. "Hey," he greeted once he was sure he had Caitlin's attention. "Everyone's here. You coming?"

"Just finishing up. We'll be there in a moment."

As Caitlin moved through the rest of the tests – he felt himself kick both legs, twitch his foot when his ankle was tapped, and curl his toes flex and curl when the bottom of his foot was stroked with the base of a pen – he watched the rest of Team Flash as they congregated in the Cortex.

Cisco and Barry greeted each other warmly. With a bro-hug to boot. Cisco's hands instantly started waving around as he talked, a bright smile on his face. Barry matched his smile with one of his own, laughing.

Joe West and Professor Martin Stein followed shortly after. They both walked with slower gaits. Compared to Barry and Cisco who spoke over each other, they waited for each other to finish their sentences before talking. Joe nodded sagely to Professor Stein's quick words, though confusion was evident on his face.

Iris had walked in with a sort of bounce to her step. A carrier cup of coffee was clutched in her hand. Professor Stein was greeted by her first. Then Cisco. While she stood close to Barry and Cisco, arms crossed, and smiled along with whatever topic they were conversing about, she didn't join in. Odd. Malcolm had said they were the best of friends. Unless…

"You can put your shirt and shoes back on," Caitlin said, interrupting his thoughts. "We're done."

"Thank you." Jay immediately reached for his S.T.A.R. Labs t-shirt and pulled it on. Eyes trained on the Cortex, he slid his feet into his shoes. With forceful steps, he followed Caitlin out of the medical wing, eyes trained on the group in the Cortex.

Caitlin was the first, and only one? – he did has his vision clouded by the dark navy of his shirt for a brief moment – to greet Averey. Closest to the door, she stood furthest away from the group. Her eyes darted from person to person yet didn't relax until Caitlin had moved to pull her into a hug. A great contrast since the last time Jay had seen her in the Cortex. She was determined to help then and now looked as if she was silently daring someone to turn her away.

One team still fractured. Jay's smile widened. Just how he liked it.

"Since we're all here, I guess I'll start out with what's most pressing," Cisco said, lifting the volume of his voice to capture everyone's attention. Hands clasped behind his back, he angled his head in Jay's direction. "Seems like everything he's been telling us is true."

"You've found one, then?" Joe asked, eyebrows lifting. "A breach?"

"Ohhh, not just one," Cisco replied, crossing the desk to his computer. He hunched over his keyboard and his fingers flew over the keyboard before a map of Central City with shimmering red streaks appeared on the monitors around the room. He tucked is hair behind his ears. "With all the tests Caitlin had been running on Jay, we were hoping to find anything abnormal about him that would correlate with the breach that had opened about him. We were also looking for any signatures from the singularity that had opened up itself as sort of a back-up plan."

"Something tells me all of these marks are _not_ indicating where they aren't," Joe commented, waving his hand towards the tv mounted on the wall. Cisco pointed a finger-gun at him.

"Precisely," Professor Stein spoke up. "Judging by our estimations, there are a vast amount of breaches around the city." He rubbed his hands together before clasping them in front of him. "If you would like a more precise estimate, we have counted at least 52 of them."

"Fifty… _fifty-two_?" Iris asked, eyes widening. "Including the one that opened up here?"

" _Especially_ the one that opened up here," Cisco said. "The one that had appeared above S.T.A.R. Labs, had the biggest energy readings we could trace. Some of these breaches aren't as strong. Since we don't have a parade of meta-humans walking through S.T.A.R. Labs, I can only assume they're coming through other breaches."

"Which also lends credence to the multi-universe theory that has plagued scientists for years," Professor Stein added. "And, it proves Mr. Garrick's words to be true. Rothstein and Slick were both thought to have been their counterparts from this earth when we came across them, correct?"

"Until we found Rothstein dead at work, and Atom Smasher attacked at Flash Day," Barry said. "The Eddie Slick of this Earth had an alibi for the day he started the fire at the wharf."

"And he had no problem gloating about it, either," Joe mumbled. "Thought he had gotten one over on the police."

"Where's Slick now?" Averey asked.

"Which one?" Cisco asked. After a few rapid keystrokes, the map on the screen changed. Jay and Barry were seen on screen in their suits, standing on either side of Eddie Slick. The Barry on screen started running, the video too slow to capture his movements save for a blip of orange-yellow light here and there. "Because this one…" A moment later, Eddie Slick was knocked off his feet, turned to glass, and shattered upon collision with the floor.

"The other is sticking to his alibi," Joe said, "and he has every right to."

"Yeah, so anyway…" Cisco closed out of the video.

"Go back." Averey stared at the TV, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Thought I saw something. How well did you clear the area after Sand Demon exploded?"

"After Patty was free," Jay said before Barry could speak up, "we took her and left."

"Barry went with a unit back to where she was held and canvassed the area for his case file," Joe added. "Why, what's up?"

"Reckon he dropped something," Averey said, "play the video back. I can't make it out from this video feed, it gets fuzzy when I zoom in." She lifted a hand and motioned towards her eyes. "But there is something that fell under that table."

"What do you mean?" Barry asked.

"When Sand Demon exploded, something hit the ground before the rest of him did. I saw something. I know I did."

Without another word, Barry rushed out of the room, wind tugging at everyone's clothes and hair. Upon his return, he held a small back square shaped device in between his forefinger and thumb. "Zoom," he announced. "It's a tracker." Nostrils flaring with a sigh he shook his head. "How did I miss this?"

"Don't beat yourself up, Bare," Joe said gently. "We've had a lot going on lately." He snorted. "Besides, you and I both know that not all crime scene investigators are good about preserving the place. Especially now since we've got some new recruits brought up from the Academy."

Barry mumbled under his breath but nodded.

"What better way to keep tabs on the metas who are supposed to do your evil bidding then by surgically planting them with one?" Caitlin asked. Iris groaned, a hand pressing to her stomach. She retrieved the device from Barry and held it up her eye. "We still have Atom Smasher's body here. I can do a quick procedure to see if he has the same thing."

"This explains why Atom Smasher needed to kill himself, or rather, dispose of his, um…" Professor Stein snapped his fingers.

"Doppelganger," Cisco supplied.

"Yes, of course." Professor Stein gave him a smile of thanks. "However, that doesn't necessarily lend itself to be a well thought out plan."

"Why not?" Barry asked.

Professor Stein looked around the room, before briefly pointing his finger in the air. Shuffling past Jay, he stepped into the medical bay and grabbed a hold of a roll away glass board. "If you don't mind, Dr. Snow?" he asked, indicating the words on the board.

"Oh, of course not," Caitlin replied. "It was just a list of all the tests I needed to run on Jay." Jay shifted his weight from foot to foot as all eyes landed on him. "Passed with flying colors." Her lips parted in a sheepish smile. "I, uh, had even run some tests to measure his autonomic reactions, making sure to pay attention to any physical changes as we talked."

"Hold on," Jay said. He put his hand in the air before putting a hand to his lips. "You gave me a _lie detector_ test?" he asked. He didn't know whether to be angry or impressed. Sher certainly was as intelligent as he was told.

"Dr. Snow," Cisco said with a smile of amusement, starting a slow clap. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"And I'm assuming he passed?" Jay didn't miss the distrustful glance that appeared on Joe's face.

"With flying colors," Caitlin replied. "Or, well, I guess passed with red and blue colors." She let out an odd laugh. "You know, because of his suit."

"Cait, I could have saved you a lot of time with that," Averey said with a laugh."

" _Anyway_ ," Cisco said loudly. "Professor Stein, you were about to explain something to us?" Jay held back a smirk as he watched Averey silently lift and eyebrow, and Barry and Iris exchange glances.

"Oh, yes, of course." Professor stein cleared his throat. He grabbed the dry-erase marker from the tray beneath the board and erased the previously written text. He drew a large circle on the board and put the number one in the center. "This is where we are right now. On Earth, in our world. And this…" He drew a second circle, "Is where Jay is from. A place he says is exactly like this one except for some changes. A parallel universe so to speak." He started drawing more circles, and numbered them. "And these are all the 52 different places the breaches could take you. And in each of these places, there is something different about it. For example, and the main point of this explanation, your occupation would not be the same."

"So, if Al Rothstein from Earth-2 were to take the place of the Al Rothstein from _this_ Earth, he may not be able to pass as a factory worker?" Joe asked.

"That's precisely it," Professor Stein agreed. "There would be just enough of a change for others who know this Earth's version of Al Rothstein to be concerned. Joe."

"Yes?"

"You know Mr. Allen and Miss West very well, of course. Would you say you would be able to spot a difference in their mannerisms immediately?"

"Of course."

"Dad barely has to look at us to know if we have something on our mind," Iris said with a smile of appreciation. "He wouldn't let up about it, either."

" _Exactly._ " Professor Stein smiled brightly at the faces that stared back at him, confused. "Atom Smasher was desperate enough to escape from Zoom that he killed this Earth's version of him. What would be the point if he had that very device inside him? Zoom would be able to track his every move, would he not?"

"Not unless Rothstein really wanted to drive home the point that he was dead, mate, I don't reckon so," Averey replied. "Identity theft isn't a new thing. Even back during the wild west era here in the States, you would have robbers hiding out from the law by taking on the persona of those they killed." Her mouth twisted to the side. "Maybe he thought Zoom would see him dead and not bother checking his real location."

 _Don't be so sure_. Jay cleared his throat, turning all attention to him. "Zoom will stop at nothing to get what he wants," he said. "He's using other metas around him to kill the Flash. Once one of them dies, he just sends another. I don't think he's too preoccupied with what happens to them after they face the Flash."

"Then what would be the point of killing Rothstein?" Iris asked. "Rothstein's body was found in a completely different area than the Flash Day rally."

"Maybe it wasn't ever about what happens _after_ they tried to kill me," Barry said. He spoke slowly, stroking his chin with his fingers, gaze angled towards the floor. "But, it was more of what happened leading up to it?"

"What do you mean?" Joe asked.

Barry was silent. Clearing his throat, he lifted his head. "Atom Smasher had said he would be allowed back home if he killed me." He started to pace. "With this tracker, Zoom would be able to know where Atom Smasher is at all times. Jay's experienced him enough to know that he would just throw the next person at me. So, it didn't really matter whether or not he won."

"I'm not following," Caitlin said.

"Rothstein thought killing a version of himself here would trick Zoom into think that not only did he not kill me, but he didn't survive the attempt. With Zoom thinking he was dead, he would be free to find his own way back home. But every step he'd take before that would be something that would either A: prove that he was looking for me or B: try and draw me out."

Jay kept his face as neutral as possible. Barry Allen certainly was _impressive_. Even more impressive than any city accolade, published academic journal article, or any mention in a newspaper that was dropped on his desk would ever show.

"And because a tracker like this couldn't possibly work across the, uh, _multiverse_ —"

"And because specific GPS monitoring systems can be altered to work for specific ranges in distances and can pin point your location as close to 25 feet or so…" Averey said.

"Zoom might already be here," Cisco concluded quietly. He used his hand to push his hair out of his face. "On this Earth." Iris gasped.

"In fact, I think I've already fought him." Barry's eyes widened, and he took a couple steps back at the loud, "WHAT?" that was thrown in his direction. Even Jay snapped to attention, laser focusing his gaze on Barry. Barry put his hands up defensively. "I couldn't say for sure, but it was back at the fire. I thought he was Slick. I haven't seen him around since then."

"So, that's good?" Joe asked. "Zoom is connected with this Slick character? Sand Demon?" Caitlin pulled the corners of her lips downwards, teeth showing, as she cringed. Cisco lay a hand flat in the air, tilting it back and forth. Barry looked around the room, and not at Joe. Professor Stein opened and closed his mouth. Averey bowed her head, scratching a spot behind her ear. Joe's shoulders dropped. "Yeah, even I don't necessarily believe that."

"Well, that's another thing to look out for, I guess," Cisco said. A troubled look appeared on his face. "That and…this shadow thief Barry and Ave had a run-in with." He smiled, proud of himself. "Shadow Thief, that's a good one." He clapped is hands together. "I'm back, baby. No one else can claim credit for that one!" He paused and looked over at Professor Stein. "Not that 'Atom Smasher' wasn't good, Professor." Professor Stein smiled.

"I'm sorry," Jay said. His head briefly twitched from side to side. This was not a name he heard before. "Shadow Thief?" Barry and Averey traded off on explaining what had occurred the night before. Jay slowly nodded as he listened. Of course, he didn't know about Shadow Thief; he wasn't working under his orders. Maybe it was something to be changed, but for now, he just needed to listen. "And he really walks through walls?"

"And can use his shadow to physically harm this friend of yours?" Professor Stein asked.

"If that's not a nightmare come to life, I don't know what is," Joe said, rubbing at his eyes.

"And you think you've done the same thing?" Iris asked, addressing Averey for the first time since she had arrived.

"I know I did," Averey replied with a nod. "Not just then, but at home, too. The night Brent and Casey were arrested, and just recently at home. One second, I was standing on solid ground, and the next I was…it was like I sank into it."

"She also believes it's the way she escaped from S.T.A.R. Labs when the singularity was causing it to collapse," Barry added.

"I don't _believe_ it, I did it. Do you have any security tape from that day?"

"Sure, but nothing from that deep down in S.T.A.R. Labs," Cisco replied. Averey frowned. "But, I'm not too surprised something like this happened."

"You're…not," Barry said.

"No." Cisco shook his head back and forth. "Barry, you figure out new things with your abilities daily. I mean, Jay just taught you how to throw lightning. We never would have thought of that." Jay hid his smirk with a well-placed cough. "Averey's abilities would have to grow, or mutate, eventually." He looked around the group. "She has a photographic memory and telescopic vision, right? She was taking pictures of the explosion when she was hit by the dark matter wave. Photographs are created by the combination of light and—"

"Shadows," Iris finished for him. "So, it was only a matter of time before she gained these kinds of abilities. It lines up with what I've heard around the office," Iris spoke up. "Just rumors, talk over coffee, that kind of thing. More thefts from someone there one moment and—" she snapped her fingers, "gone the next."

"Iris, if you could start collecting any instance in the papers about this, a daily crime report, a small blurb, anything, it would be a big help," Barry said to her.

"Yeah, of course."

"I'll start pulling any case files that sound similar, too," Joe added.

"We need to test this," Cisco said. "There could have been a multitude of reasons why you were able to do it before, but not recently."

"It is quite fascinating," Professor Stein spoke up. "As scientists have come to learn over time that, shadows help us conclude that light travels in a straight line. It can be bisected of course, and greatly alters how we perceive depth of a surface or a plane. For example, the difference between 2D and 3D objects."

"Only, I don't know how to do it again," Averey replied. "I can't control it." She made a clicking sound with her tongue. "Except, photography is more about using light and light sensitive materials. Although there have been some amazing photos taken due to the shadows and the absence of light, so I see what you're saying."

"How long can you stay for?" Cisco asked.

"Not too long," Averey replied. "Pro tip: it's not a great idea to call your mum and dad from CCPD headquarters after you just got released from house arrest." She slid her hands into her jeans pockets. "I promised I'd be back home on time and," she made a face, "I can't guarantee any delays from the local news stations."

"Yeah," Cisco said with a frown.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with that," Caitlin said, twisting her fingers together. "You all don't deserve it." She reached for Iris's wrist and gently squeezed it. "I'm sure it'll die down before you know it."

"Yeah, here's hoping," Iris said with a tired sigh. "I wish they would all just—" Jay watched, curiously as Iris's demeanor changed. She had turned towards the computers and froze. Her eyebrows lowered. One hand went to her stomach; a fist pressing into her abdominals.

Barry instantly noticed her change. "What? What is it? Iris, you're freaking me out. I didn't mean to make you cry."

Iris didn't answer. She lifted a shaking hand and pointed behind him before grabbing Barry's arms and forcing him to turn around. She felt his muscles tighten, his body still, and his breath catch in his throat.

"Eddie?"

Jay followed her gaze over to "Eddie" as he stepped into the Cortex - Malcolm. His eyes were locked on Iris's. He didn't even react when to the gasps and shocked expressions from Professor Stein, Joe (his hand inched closer towards his gun), Caitlin, and Cisco. Barry and Averey were the only ones who didn't look surprised. Then again, Jay knew, they wouldn't be surprised.

"I have an even better idea." Malcolm stepped out of the shadowy hallway. He didn't dare to look in Jay's direction. "If the press wants a story, we can give them one: ex-senator's son back from the dead."

* * *

There were numerous moments in his life where Barry had made himself appear small. Being shoved into lockers. Hiding behind alley dumpsters. Slipping under teacher's desks. When you were bullied, making yourself small was a go-to tactic to make him unnoticed by his schoolmates.

Now, sitting on the side of the "Cisco-ed" treadmill, he felt his body curl in on itself as he faced the wrath of Iris West. Knees brought up towards his chest. Arms wrapped around his knees, he rocked back and forth, lips tightly pursed.

Beside him, Averey watched Iris as she paced. Her legs were stretched out in front of her, ankles crossed. Her weight was shifted back onto her hands. He almost felt bad for her. Averey didn't know what Iris was like when she was angry.

"Barry Allen," Barry flinched at her tone, "when were you going to tell me?"

"Believe me, Iris," Barry said quietly, "I was going to tell you."

Iris let out a laugh, shaking her head. "You're such a liar," she said. Averey sucked in a gasp of air through her teeth. "If you wanted to tell me, you would have done so by now." Her eyes landed on Averey. " _Or you_."

"It was his idea." Averey prodded Barry in the arm. "I wanted him to tell you."

"I—Ave!" Barry threw her an impatient look. "Ok, Iris, look. I know this looks bad, and you have every right to be angry with me." Iris's nostrils flared. "I had to be sure about this. Ok?"

"And, technically, we didn't lie. We just withheld information."

"Information where I'm the only one who's in the dark. Again. Why do you keep shutting me out?" Iris asked. "I've told you over, and over again, that I'm part of this now." The crack of the back of her left hand hitting the palm of her right, split through the silence. "You can't keep me out."

"Mate," Averey said with an incredulous laugh, "we didn't exactly believe what we were seeing. We all saw Eddie shoot himself. We all took it hard." She cleared her throat. Swallowed. "We saw him get pulled into the singularity. Jay barely survived getting through the singularity even _with_ his abilities. We had no reason to believe we were actually seeing Eddie around town."

"You say that," Iris said, "and yet last year, Ronnie had turned up after everyone thought he was dead. Professor Stein, too. Caitlin kept seeing him around town, and it turned out to be true." She then fixed her gaze on Averey. Her voice lowered. "You didn't even go to Eddie's funeral."

"Iris!" Barry smoothed his hair with his hands, grasping the back of his head with his fingers.

Averey's eyebrows lifted. "Right. I wasn't allowed to go, Iris," Averey said flatly. "I didn't get clearance from my probation officer. Not that that's any of your business."

"Iris, you have to believe me. I wanted to tell you."

"I believe that my best friend would have actually talked to me about something like this. What I can't believe is that you've started keeping things from me. Again."

"You don't understand."

"How could I understand when you don't talk to me?"

"We all thought Eddie was dead." Averey closed her eyes, tilting her head back. She suddenly sounded tired. "When grieving, people see those that passed everywhere. How were we to know he was actually back?" She opened her eyes and nodded her head in Barry's direction. "We had even tried to figure out if he actually was here."

Barry watched Iris's expression when Averey explained about Jitters, and the box of cupcakes. Her anger had slowly faded. She shook her head and turned her back to them, facing the window to the room. Through it, she could see into the Cortex, and gaze at the boyfriend she thought she had lost.

"This isn't like you, Barry," she had finally said after a moment of silence. "We've always been able to talk to each other."

"We haven't been talking for six months, Iris," Barry said, matching her tone of voice. "Not for a long time. Not since the singularity." Vocal chords thickening, he continued to speak. His voice sounded gravelly.

"The Barry Allen I know, my best friend, would have told me all about this the second it happened." She threw her hands into the air, turning back around to face them. "We just talked about this, Barry."

"It's like I told you, I have to keep everyone safe. And to do that, there will be things I can't tell you. Not right away."

"How would you have reacted if we told you that we saw Eddie around town?" Averey asked. "Would you have believed us?" Iris was silent. "When I got whammied last year, I bloody didn't know if what I was seeing was true half the time, yeah? Why waste anyone's time on something that might not actually be there?"

"Iris, I know," Barry said, getting to his feet, "ok? I know what you've been through, Iris, I know how hard you took Eddie's death." Each step towards her was slow. "I watched you day in and day out grieve, and I hated seeing that. I hated seeing you so hurt."

"Barry…" Iris could only shake her head.

"I hated knowing that I had a hand in it, because I couldn't defeat the Reverse-Flash, or Dr. Wells, or whoever he is. I didn't want to bring you into anything else until I was absolutely 100% sure of what was being told to me, and by whom, and if I could trust them. You have to understand I was thinking of you. The whole time. I always think of you."

"That's sweet of you, Bare." Iris swallowed thickly. "You have to stop protecting me, protecting us, and not giving us the chance to do so for ourselves. You need our help. And that means letting us know everything that's going on. Trust me. Trust us."

"I know, I know," Barry said. "We've been on this same topic for so long…" He massaged his temples. "I just can't get past it."

"Why am I here?" Averey asked. For a moment Barry didn't know if she was asking the question in general, or for a specific answer. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "I know you're angry that I kept seeing Eddie around a secret." She waved her hand between the two of them. "This is about you two. So, on that note…"

Barry watched her leave. Iris sighed, moving to sit beside him. "I'm tired of having this conversation," he said. "Not just to you, but to everyone. Over, and over again, I'm reminded that I shouldn't hold all this guilt, that I'm not responsible for Eddie and Ronnie's actions…" He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know how to move on."

"A day at a time," Iris replied. "Just like we all have been over these past six months." She lifted her hand and placed it on his shoulder, gently squeezing it. "You acted the same way after your mom died. I think that's why I've been so frustrated and angry with you. We talked all the time back then and now…"

"We've barely discussed what had happened with each other," Barry replied. "It was easier back then. With my mom."

"How?" Iris asked.

"You weren't involved," Barry replied. "It was _my_ mom. Now, it's _our_ friends."

"Barry, I lost my mom, too, remember?"

Barry nodded, but in truth, he didn't remember much about Iris's mom. He remembered how sad she was, and how important certain items of hers was, but not her. Maybe because they were so young. Maybe because it had all been replaced once he lost his own mother. The whole time, Iris had understood. It wasn't about how he had

"I remember," he said. "First it was your mom, and then mine. We knew how to help each other when it was individual tragedies."

"But, we didn't know how to handle it when it's something we're both connected to," Iris said. "So, we stopped talking to each other. We tried to handle it on our own."

"Until I was ambushed. In my own building nonetheless."

Iris laughed quietly. "I can't take complete credit for that," she said. "Everyone just wanted to help." She looked around the room. "I still can't believe you own S.T.A.R. Labs."

"It's a good thing I do," Barry said. He got to his feet. "I didn't want it at first, but, there's no other place around here that can do what we can." He turned to face Iris. "Eddie was right to come here. And Jay. Too many people would be asking too many questions if they showed up at any normal hospital."

"Like how he even survived?" Iris asked.

"Exactly." Barry swallowed thickly. "And, if Eddie is still alive, does that mean the Reverse-Flash is, too?"

Iris gasped. "I didn't even think…oh, Barry."

Barry took quick, long strides out of the room. "Ok, Eddie," he said, stepping back into the Cortex. Eddie' sport coat was removed. One sleeve of his shirt was rolled up, a blood pressure strap encircling his arm. "What happened to you?"

"Honestly," Eddie said, eyes stuck on Iris, "I don't know if any of you will believe me. I hardly believe it myself."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

I'm so anxious to see how you guys react to react to Malcolm's opening scene. This chapter was originally going to have Henry's welcome home party, and another scene in S.T.A.R. Labs, but it didn't feel like it fit overall here. However, you will be seeing that in the next chapter. But, yay, Team Flash are all back in the same room together at least. Have I mentioned how much I love writing things from the villain's point of view?

On another note, was it easy to follow when Malcolm arrived from Jay's point of view? And then seeing Eddie referenced again from Barry's? I think this was the best way to handle both sides knowing the same person by two different identities.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Something you didn't understand and need further explanation on? Overall thoughts? Please leave a review. I appreciate every piece of feedback.

-Rhuben

 **Review reply for In a Flash:**

 _Guest/Swag4Life:_ I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for giving my story a shot, and choosing to continue with it. Of course, looking back on it now, there are things here and there I would change about it, but I'm glad you've enjoyed it for what it was.

 **Review Replies:**

 _Ethan:_ Believe me, it's not the only time you'll be seeing Daniel telling Averey things like it is. That's just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. Yes, Gavin is locked away in the Pipeline. There was originally going to be a scene that kind of book ended the opening of this chapter with the end, but I've pushed it back to later.

 _Gods-Own:_ Hahaha, no, there's no way that's going to happen with Averey. But, at least now you've got a name for that meta-human. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I look forward to your thoughts on this chapter.


	12. Stay Together For the Parents

**Chapter Twelve:** Stay Together for the Parents

* * *

"What is that smell? Abuela didn't make a surprise visit, did she?"

Cisco rolled his eyes at his brother's words. He shot a glare at Dante's reflection before spitting a wad of foamy toothpaste into the sink. "Very funny," he muttered. "And if she did, you'd know."

"I wouldn't have to worry so much about take out food for the fourth day in a row, that's for sure."

"There's a thing called a grocery store," Cisco said, using his tongue to get excess toothpaste from around his mouth. He spat a second time. "I'm sure you've heard of it before." He turned on the water and ran the bristles under it before applying a second glob of toothpaste. "Feel free to explore. Oh, and see if you can find those grapes that taste like cotton candy."

"It's your turn to go grocery shopping, genius."

"No, it's—crap, you're right"

"That's a first." Dante lifted his eyebrows. He spun his cane between his hands.

Cisco snorted and turned around to face his brother. "You said it, not me."

"What's this party for any way?"

"Kind of a three-fer. Officially, it's to celebrate Barry's dad's release from Iron Heights. And it's also to celebrate Caitlin's resigning from Mercury Labs, and Averey being off house arrest." He snapped the fingers on his free hand. "Oh! And kind of a 'hooray you're not really dead' bash for Eddie." Dante slowly nodded. "What? Oh, right, I didn't tell you about that, did I? Well…"

Cisco's stomach tightened as he glanced down towards Dante's knees. _Why don't you tell him everything that's been happening, Cisco. Put him even further in harm's way._ Zoom hadn't even made an appearance (at least Cisco hadn't seen him with his own two eyes), and yet he was already in the backs of their minds. If he was just as bad as Jay had been alluding to, it was probably for the best that Dante didn't know any more.

Things could get worse than a damaged knee.

Even now, Cisco could see that Dante was favoring his good leg. His knuckles were turning white from how hard he gripped his cane. If Dante was in as much pain as Cisco could deduce, he wasn't showing it on his face. And he didn't show it when the doctors had told him he was actually slipping backwards in his recovery. He had learned that from his mom – there was something about Zumba that just allowed information to flow freely. Maybe it was due to the lack of energy. It took more conscious thought to tell a lie.

"That guy, Dr. Wells, confessed to murdering your friend's mom," Dante finally spoke up, pulling Cisco out of his thoughts. He spoke slowly. Cisco's eyes narrowed. "And you still want to work at S.T.A.R. Labs. You haven't thought of working anywhere else?"

"I don't want to work anywhere else." He started brushing again, dragging his toothbrush across his teeth harder than he needed to. He could taste blood in his mouth, but also sighed in relief when a popcorn kernel was finally pulled free from between his teeth.

"Why not?"

Turning back towards the sink, Cisco spat. "This isn't you trying to get information from mom, is it?" he asked. He spat again, briefly gazing at the white and red mixture at the bottom of the sink. "I get enough whenever I go to Zumba." He lifted his voice to a higher octave. "'You're so thin, aren't you eating enough?', 'You need to get some sun,' 'Do you have enough toilet paper'?" Briefly, his eyes widened in annoyance. "By the way, mom's going to send us over some more. Toilet paper, I mean. And towels. And sheets. So, keep an eye out for a package form her."

"And you used to complain when she wouldn't give you any attention," Dante muttered.

"I didn't complain," Cisco protested. Dante gave him a 'yeah right' look. "I was just…very vocal about my annoyance." He gave Dante a warm smile. "Especially when it involved you." He pointed his toothbrush at Dante. "By the way, she asked again whether or not you want to come to the next Zumba class. It'd help build strength in your knee."

"And also cause it to swell," Dante replied. "All those high impact moves? I don't think so. I'll stick to Armando's suggestions, if it's all right with you."

"They have altered classes to assist people with bad joints." Dante rolled his eyes. "Like, Aqua Zumba."

"With all the older people?" Dante asked.

Cisco pressed his lips together. His eyebrows lifted. "You've always had an old soul, so…" He shrugged his shoulders. Dante made a face and ripped a towel off of the rack by the door, throwing it at Cisco.

Gritting his teeth, Cisco removed the towel from his head and dropped it to the floor. Great. Now he needed to fix his hair. And it took so much time to get it to lay perfectly party ready in the first place. "I'm just trying to help. I want you back on two feet just as badly as you do."

"Then let me handle it," Dante said flatly. "Ok? I've got Armando breathing down my neck about how slow I'm recovering. I don't need it from you."

"Ok. Fine." Cisco put his hands up defensively. _But, if I have to watch you sit on the couch moping every weekend, we're going to have a problem._ If it wasn't school work driving Dante's sour mood, it was his knee. Neither of which he seemed to be doing his best to stay on top of. Cisco rinsed his tooth brush a second. "Fine."

"Just let me know when you'll be back, ok?"

"Do you want to go out for drinks?"

They spoke at the same time and reacted in shocked silence. Cisco, at least, was surprised that the words had even come out of his mouth in the first place. Maybe they were both reacting to the same thing: that they were being nice. At the same time. It was happening more often now than the past 20 or so years, but it was still jarring whenever it did occur.

"Suuuure," the two said in unison.

"Um, when?" Dante asked.

"Not for a couple days," Cisco replied with a shrug. "I'll let you know."

Dante's gaze shifted upwards to the right. A thoughtful look passed over his face before he nodded his head. "Ok, cool," he replied. "I can still catch the Diamonds game."

Cisco snorted. "Since when have you been into sports?" he asked. He dried his hands on the towel on the floor before stuffing it back on the rack. Frowning, Dante retrieved it and carefully folded it before setting it back on the rack.

"You may have never noticed it, what with you being shut up in science labs for days on end," Dante said, "but sports are pretty popular in schools."

"Yeah, but you're not the average school goer," Cisco replied. "I mean, you never hear of someone playing on a school team that's also working towards their Master's."

"I like spending my free time immersing myself at school," Dante said with a shrug. Almost dismissively.

"Right." Cisco sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm going to be late if I don't head out now," he said. "And I need to fix my hair, so if you don't mind…" Dante stepped back further into the hall, allowing Cisco space to move out of the bathroom. "I'll try and bring back some cake or something."

He barely took five steps when Dante had spoke up again. "Hey, uh, give Barry my best," he said. "And Averey too, I guess. I got a card. I just need to sign it." He pointed his chin in the direction of his room. "It's on my dresser."

"Oh. Yeah, sure." Cisco shifted his direction and walked into Dante's room. Brushing his hair back behind his ears, he quickly surveyed the room. Apart from a pile of books, an open notebook, a spatter of pens and pencils on his desk, and slightly crooked sheets on his bed, his room was immaculate. "Where on your dresser?"

"Just check around my books."

Cisco let out an odd laugh, throwing his hands in to the air before he started doing as he was told. Uncapped pens started rolling across the table. Numbers, and dollar signs in Dante's small, yet perfect handwriting filled each papered surface. As soon as he picked up a notebook to move it aside, he felt himself freeze to the spot.

He couldn't even lift his hands to his head, which suddenly felt like it was being split open. His brain…if there was any way to describe what it felt like to have his brain rubbed with steel wool, it would feel like this. Teeth tightly clenched, he leaned forward, reaching for the dresser, and found himself tilting forward into the air.

With a gasp, he caught himself on the rounded table nearest him. He had plenty of them to choose from, as he quickly came to be aware of. The room was bigger. Banners hung down from the high ceiling of the atrium. That, _for sure_ , was not a feature in the apartment. Otherwise, Cisco mused, he certainly got a steel for the amount of rent he was paying. Neither was the line of quick food businesses: a pizza stand, sandwich shop, even a Big Belly Burger stand.

Spinning in a slow circle, he noticed the few occupants at the tables. They all had books scattered around them. Backpacks. Water bottles. All blazoned with Central City University's logo.

"I'm at…school?" Cisco asked. One moment, his voice sounded far off, and the next seemed to bounce around his head.

"Keep your voice down!"

"Sorry." Cisco's hand flew up to cover his mouth. "Sorry, I'm just…" He turned to find the owner of the command, and found Dante sitting at a table with another man, heads hunched close together. "Dante?"

Dante lifted his head and looked around the area before lowering his head again. "Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"My hands are tied," his companion said quietly, "I can't help you – and believe me, I'm trying – if you keep running your mouth like that. Trust me." Dante looked doubtful. Retrieving the cane that rest against the side of the table, he started spinning it between his hands. He licked his lips as he thought. "Come on. It's not like it's against the rules."

"I know, I know," Dante replied. His lips lifted into a hint of a smile. "I, uh, have been thinking of asking my brother about this."

"The guy working at S.T.A.R. Labs?" The guy snorted. "For someone you call a genius, he hasn't been that smart to stay. I mean, come on." He shook his head back and forth. "We don't need his help."

Dante frowned. "He does good work," he said evenly, "more than any of us realize. He's smart, he would figure this out."

"The less people involved the better."

Cisco was pulled out of…whatever he was seeing and stumbled back onto Dante's bed. The notebook in his hand was ripped away from him as Dante shuffled as quickly as he could through the room. "I asked for you to help find the card, not go through my homework," Dante mumbled. "Oh, here it is."

"How is it – your homework?" Cisco asked, pushing himself up into a seated position. "School. How are you doing?"

"If getting a master's degree wasn't so impressive, it wouldn't be hard," Dante replied. Bent over his desk, he quickly signed his signature in fast loops. "They hit the ground running. That's for sure." He let out a scoff. "Not all of us can excel in school without breaking a sweat."

 _Ha,_ Cisco thought, _you sure do sweat a lot trying to avoid bullies._ His jaw clenched tightly for a brief moment, and he steeled himself for a sarcastic remark. Then he remembered: Dante had defended him. He couldn't remember the last time that had happened. Slowly, Cisco relaxed. "I'm just offering my help."

"When I want it, I'll ask for it."

"Ok, ok." Cisco used a hand to massage his temples. He held out the other to take Dante's card. "I'm just saying. Whatever you need help with. I'm there. Whenever you need it." Dante's eyebrows angled towards each other. Cisco held his gaze. He could as much conviction as he wanted into his words, but there was no way he could openly ask what was going on. Not without explaining what was happening to him. And he still hadn't figured it out what exactly was happening.

How funny, his whole life was based around working with the unknown, and here he was scared of it. If he was being honest, he didn't know if he really wanted to find out. For then, he would have to admit that Harrison Wells impacted his life more than he could have ever imagined.

He was told time and time again by Dr. Wells just how impressive he was, how he could do so much to further S.T.A.R. Labs's reputation in the field of science, how his engineering background was exactly what he was looking for. At the time, he enjoyed seeing Hartley pushed aside and, for once, being recognized for all of his hard work. He was no longer the "biggest nerd on the planet" because he was surrounded by nerds. It may have been silly, but he thought maybe one day he could have become something like Dr. Wells.

If the Reverse-Flash was someone he could become, he didn't want the praise or the recognition. He didn't want these powers, whatever they were. This was something no Google search or Youtube tutorial could help him figure out.

He was on his own.

"Get going, mija," Dante said, gently cuffing him on the side of the head. "You don't want to be late."

"Well, now you're just trying to get rid of me."

Dante smiled. "You're stinking up the apartment with your choice of cologne." His smile widened. "Who are you trying to impress? Huh?"

"And that's my cue to leave," Cisco said, stepping past his brother. "Ha, ha, bye." After a quick fix of his hair, grabbing his jacket, and making sure he had his belongings, he stopped by the front door. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"Nah." Situated on the couch, Dante shook his head. "You're better friends with all of them. I'll be taking you up on the bar offer though, especially if you're buying."

"It's just kind of weird, you know?" Cisco asked. "You're the one staying here, and I'm going out with friends."

Dante angled his head back over the arm of the couch, locking eyes with Cisco. "It is weird," he agreed, "but, honestly, I've been waiting a long time for it."

* * *

Averey looked back and forth between her parents. As much of their faces as she could see as they kept their gaze out the front window of the truck as they headed towards the West house. There were times she felt they were too perfect, even for each other, but now she was convinced they had been replaced by clones. Or else they had held back just how excited they were to get the house back to themselves.

Ellie had insisted that they had cried when Averey moved out for university, but now she wasn't too sure. Not to mention the fact that her room, while it did house all of her furniture and personal items, had been changed around and the walls re-painted while she was gone.

"Let me get this straight," she said. As if she really needed them to repeat themselves. She could reply exactly what was said, word for word. At least this way, there'd be no doubt in their statement. "You two _aren't_ going to be keeping up with where I go and who I'm with?"

"Not anymore," Ellie replied simply. From the passenger seat, she turned her head to give Averey a warm smile. Lifting a hand, she Averey's hair back behind her ear. "We trust you, sweet."

"I don't have to turn in my mobile every night? My computer?"

"You can keep them." Daniel caught her eye in the rearview mirror. "You've had a tight leash on you long enough. You're an adult, you need the room to act like one."

"No more checking in with me whenever you two go out?"

Daniel laughed through his nose, stopping the truck as he drove to a red light. After a quick glance out the front windshield, he turned in his seat to face her. "Honey, we trust you." He spoke slowly, deliberately. It was calming, actually. "It wasn't easy, but you got through house arrest with no issues."

Averey swallowed the sudden rush of saliva that filled her mouth. There were no issues until she had followed that Flash Signal across the city. If they had found out she broke a very important rule under their noses…She hadn't ever really seen her parents yell (Daniel was more of the disciplinarian than her mum) but they would go absolutely nuclear. Barry wasn't one to break rules, especially none with heavy consequences as being thrown in prison, but it was a special occasion. Sometimes, she often reminded herself, the means justified the ends.

Arms wrapped around her stomach, Averey slumped back in her seat. "I reckon this means I need to start paying rent?" she asked. Daniel and Ellie laughed – although she noted that they didn't answer her question. Nevertheless, her mission was accomplished. A quick topic change here, injecting some humor into the conversation there, and she could safely navigate the conversation in the way that supplemented her needs. At the moment, she needed to get rid of her guilt gut or else she would be puking out the back window.

Or was it her anxiety. Seeing Henry Allen behind bars, or even getting the rare chance to sit in the same room with him was different than seeing him in person. You could say a lot of things in prison and make it sound heartfelt and lifechanging. It was another to act on those words. Especially when you no longer had the daily routine (others would describe it as constraints) of prison dictating your every move. After all, you had to know how to talk to people to survive living behind bars.

"Light's green."

Daniel turned back to face the road and pressed on the gas pedal. Rolling her head to the side, Averey watched as the houses and cars and pedestrians rolled past. The feeling of wonder was coming back to her. That's what she had liked about traveling so much; the time was hers, and it wasn't filled with work commitments or other responsibilities. It was the perfect amount of time to slow down and really take in everything about your environment, and to appreciate what you had.

 _Like parents who never gave up on you_. Averey looked back at her parents out of the corner of her eye. They talked easily, trading smiles, and light touches. He had unwavering support for Ellie over the years. Why Averey thought that wouldn't transcend to her after her initial jail sentence was now unfathomable.

It just made sense.

There was no way she would have managed outside of Keystone Regional without some sort of support system, even if it did turn out to be a ruse. Even if it did inadvertently send her back to a life she tried to avoid in the first place. She knew the statistics, she knew how hard it was to readjust back to a normal civilian life after being inside without anyone there to help. And time and time again, no matter how much she felt as if she didn't deserve it, no matter how often she thought people would find a reason to drop her (after all, she had been abandoned at an impressionable part of her life), she had people on her side. People that wanted to stay on her side. Her mum, her dad (both of them), everyone at S.T.A.R. Labs…

It wasn't that long ago she had gone to aid Barry when he insisted he didn't need the help or support. She couldn't help but laugh. As she was growing to learn, she and Barry were more alike than she thought. She was an idiot. They had both been idiots.

"Have I ever said how much I appreciate you two?" Averey asked, taking Daniel and Ellie's hands, as they walked up the steps to the West home. She was aware of the unmarked police cars stationed at both entrances of the street, and one parked just a few doors down. She swung their hands back and forth between them. If she had been smaller, she was sure they would have swung her off her feet and up into the air, all while she laughed gleefully. "Because I do. Not just lately, but for everything."

"We know." Ellie squeezed Averey's hand. "We know."

"In fact, I owe you a lot of 'I appreciate yous', and 'I love yous', and even more 'I'm sorrys'."

Daniel exaggerated a groan of annoyance. "You do go on sometimes," he said. "I don't think you've ever stopped talking."

"Yes, I did," Averey replied. She made a face, leaning out of the way of his free hand when he tried to muss her hair. She had spent way too much (and she recognized It was _way too much_ ) time on her hair to have it mess up so quickly. She really didn't have anyone to dress up for, but there was the nagging thought that this was the first time she'd really be meeting Henry, and a good first impression was key. "Around seven years old when you didn't get that toy I wanted for Christmas."

"Oh, yes, one of the quieter Christmases," Daniel replied, pretending to think.

"Even though you got everything else you asked for that year," Ellie commented, stepping up to the door.

"It was an at home laser tag game," Averey protested, her voice jumping an octave as she defended herself. "Who wouldn't want to– what the heck?"

It wasn't the reaction she was sure her friends packing the living room, but the flat response was the only thing she could muster in reaction to the loud "SURPRISE" that was thrown in her face. That, and the banner hanging below a "WELCOME HOME, HENRY" banner reading "CONGRATULATIONS, AVEREY." And the small party poppers that had, surprisingly, good enough distance to temporarily distort her field of vision.

"You didn't think we'd just let you get off house arrest without any fanfare, did you?" Caitlin asked, stepping over to Averey to give her a hug. "I'm guessing by your face, you did. Barry had this all planned from the beginning. He sent us a video of you removing your anklet from the other day."

Averey plastered a smile to her face. "Where is my dear brother?" she asked with over the top sweetness.

"I believe he went to collect your father," Professor Stein explained, stepping forward. He had a glass of wine in one hand, the other on the small of Clarissa's back, guiding her through the living room. "They should be returning at any moment. In the meantime, if I may…" He offered Daniel his hand. "Professor Martin Stein and my lovely wife Clarissa. It's a pleasure to meet you, much as it is a pleasure knowing your daughter."

"Oh," Ellie blinked in surprise, yet shook Professor Stein and Clarissa's hands, "how do you know Averey?"

"Oh, uh…" Professor Stein cleared his throat, his gaze shifting towards Averey.

"After the singularity, I reached out to Professor Stein to learn more about black holes," Averey quickly explained, widening her eyes in Professor Stein's direction. Clarissa pressed her lips together, trying to hide a smile. "He answered my questions, put me onto a good book, and is friends with Barry."

"What kind of book?" Daniel asked.

"'How to Survive Black Holes'." Silence.

"Of course, no one knows the full scope of what black holes entail," Professor Stein quickly filled in. "We know of the immense gravitational pull, the absence of light, and time seeming to slow upon passing the event horizon of course. But could someone truly survive falling into one given our knowledge that whatever falls in does not fall out."

"On that note, I'm just going to leave," Averey said. As she passed Professor Stein she hissed out of the side of her mouth, "They don't know." Professor Stein responded with an upwards eyebrow twitch, and the adjustment of his already perfectly aligned glasses.

"'How to Survive a Black Hole'?" Iris asked, being the second to give Averey a hug in greeting.

Averey shrugged. "It's not the exact title, but I have a book on the topic on hold at the library," she explained. "Considering what we've seen lately, don't think I need to hold on to it anymore, yeah?" Her chin bobbed in a slight nod. "Thanks. For this."

"For what?"

"Barry may have been the one to set this up, and may have put up all the decorations quickly, but I don't reckon he's the type to just decorate and be done with it, without your input. And changes." Averey pointed towards the hanging banners. "Last minute changes. The banners are lower on the right side."

"Dad." Iris whirled around to face Joe, who was leaning against the doorway connecting the living room to the dining room. He suddenly seemed to be really thirsty as he started chugging his Sangria. "You said it was even."

"Baby," he replied, "would you relax?" The ice clanked against his glass when he lowered it. He carefully spun his beverage around in his cup. "No one's going to notice if something is out of place." Iris crossed her arms over her chest. "No one with a normal eyesight will."

"Sorry," Averey said with a sheepish smile. "I'll change the subject. To…Caitlin! I've heard you're jumping ship at Mercury Labs." She turned to face her friend, effectively dropping the former subject. "Nice bangs by the way."

" _Thank you_." Caitlin threw a hand into the air. "I knew you'd notice. _Someone_ thought I have had bangs for the past couple of weeks." She nodded her head towards Cisco who stuck close by the snack table, gazing longingly at the two cakes on the table.

"In my defense," he said, settling on some cheese cubes, "your hair looks great all the time, how am I to notice any small change that just makes it better."

"Nice save," Iris said with a chuckle.

"I still have to get used to it." Caitlin brushed the fringe with her fingers. "I didn't realize bangs fell into your eyes that often. And I can't exactly pin them back." She sighed. "I need to put all of my attention on my work, and I keep getting distracted by my hair."

"Get used to it," Cisco laughed. He smiled smugly. "Those of us with _amazing_ hair have to suffer the consequences. Welcome to the club." His smile brightened. "And starting Wednesday, welcome back, officially, to S.T.A.R. Labs."

"I still can't believe you, of all people, are jumping ship," Averey commented.

"I'm not jumping…I've given them plenty of time to find a replacement for me," Caitlin protested. She started chewing on her lip. "I've wrapped up my projects, aided in continuing others to make sure they run smoothly without me. I'm leaving on good terms. Besides, S.T.A.R. Labs needs me more than Mercury Labs does."

"That we do," Cisco agreed. He lifted his hand in a wave. "Hey."

"Hi," Averey replied.

"So, when can you get back to S.T.A.R. Labs?" Cisco asked. "Because, I'd really liked to run some tests—"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Iris snapped her fingers as if she was admonishing a pet.

Cisco gave her an odd look. "Girl, what is wrong with you?" he asked.

"You heard Barry," Iris replied. At Averey's questioning look, Iris explained, "He wants one day where we don't talk about metas and S.T.A.R. Labs work."

Averey nodded. "No worries."

"But, um," Iris angled her head to the side and Averey followed her to the dining room, "I wanted to apologize about the other day."

Averey put her hand into the air. She shook her head. "Iris, no worries," she replied. "Seriously."

"No, I need to say it." Iris rubbed her hands together. "Yes, I was angry that you kept seeing Eddie from me, but I shouldn't have brought you into an argument that Barry and I have been having for a while. I should have talked to you about it one-on-one." She started to twist her fingers together. "Do you want to know what I did when I saw him?"

"Eddie?"

"Yeah. I slammed the door in his face"

"Sorry?"

"I barely let him get a word out and I just slammed the door." Iris's lips formed a hint of a smile. "He was all I've wanted for the past six months, and I couldn't believe he was standing there. He shouted through the door that it was really him, and I…" She smiled sheepishly, "I threatened him with my dad's gun."

Averey let out a bark of laughter. "You know how to shoot a gun?"

"Detective's daughter," Iris reminded her with a shrug. "Dad wanted to make sure I knew how to take care of myself when he wasn't around. He's taken Barry and I to the shooting range for years."

"And you threatened Eddie with it?"

Iris struck her with a significant stare. "How would you have handled it?"

"After seeing everything with Ronnie?" Averey's eyebrows angled towards each other. "Probably not threaten him."

"Yeah, well, he didn't turn down my babbling uncontrollably, the tears, or the tight hug. Then I threatened him with trespassing, and anything I could think of." Averey smiled. Whomever bothered to decide with Iris certainly was making a huge mistake. She had to give credit where it was due; Iris knew how to take care of herself. "I just couldn't believe it." A thoughtful look appeared on Iris's face and she said absently, "I don't think he really thought about that, either. That I could take care of myself."

"This is Eddie we're talking about," Averey pointed out. "Even if he knows you can protect yourself – and he knows you can protect yourself, Iris – he'll take it upon himself to do it. Any way he can."

"I know," Iris agreed. "He's upstairs if you want to talk to him."

"He's _here_?" Averey asked, eyes popping open. "In this house?"

"We couldn't exactly let him walk around Central City," Iris explained. "No one else knows he's still alive." She sighed. "He's not wrong. If he did come forward, it would take the attention off Henry's release from Iron Heights."

"Mate, I'm just worried it wouldn't be enough."

"It'd buy us time." Iris shifted her weight from one leg to the other. "People still don't understand what happened with the singularity. _We still_ don't fully understand what happened." She licked her lips. "It could also put S.T.A.R. Labs back into the city's good graces. Everyone already thinks they had something to do with damaging the city, again. If they take the time to study it, to learn more…" She lifted her hands before dropping them to her sides. "In my professional opinion, and I know I'm still relatively new at it, it's a win-win situation. It'll be better to write this out with the narrative we want to give, instead of having someone write one for us. If anyone else covers it, S.T.A.R. Labs will forever be condemned, and so will Henry."

"I'm impressed, Iris West," Averey commented with a smile. "You really were meant to be a journalist, hey. You've thought this through." She tilted her head to the side.

"I've had a while to think about it."

"Once you're guilty in the court of public, you're guilty forever."

"Not to everyone. They just have to see it to believe it. Like the Flash. No one believed he was the real deal until he showed up to take on Snart."

"You mean the same night he threw Eddie up and down Main Street like a rag doll?" Averey's eyes narrowed. "Aren't we not supposed to be talking about this?"

"Do you see Barry around?" Averey laughed through her nose. "The last time I listened to him, he put me on the track of taking a journalism course." Iris's eyebrows lifted. She gave a close-lipped laugh. "So, I guess he knows what he's talking about." Her eyes suddenly flew open. "Oh! You texted me a little bit ago needing my help?"

"Can the public access the CCPN archives or just employees?" Averey asked.

"It's available in paper, depending on what you're looking for, and online." Iris looked curious. "Why?"

"Because I need everything pulled on Iron Heights and General Eiling. Even if it's a small blurb, I want it pulled."

"I'll see what I can do."

Averey responded with a toothy smile in thanks. "Now we can drop the subject."

"Um." Iris grasped her wrist when she turned to head back into the kitchen. "I also wanted to apologize about what I said about Eddie's memorial. I didn't know." Averey opened her mouth to protest, and Iris rushed on. "You were right: it was none of my business and I shouldn't have thrown that at you. I'm sorry you had to miss it. I know you would have wanted to be there if you could. I know you two were close, and how much you cared—care—about him."

A bell in the kitchen chimed and Iris gently squeezed Averey's wrist before going to attend to whatever the bell was for. Averey stepped back into the living room to grab some food. She felt eyes upon her. She stopped.

Upon turning, eyes darting from person to person as her gaze swept across the living room, they landed on the stairs. A blond head moved. A pair of sock-feet peeked out from the upper landing. Averey made her way to the stairs. Turning the corner on the landing, she twisted her mouth to the side, gazing upon Eddie.

It was weird. He had been gone for six months and was now sitting on the West family stairs. In casual clothing no less. When was the last time Eddie willingly left the house in a t-shirt and jeans? Averey surmised it was another aspect of living a life in the public eye; you always had to look presentable.

Wordlessly, Averey climbed the stairs until she reached him. She lowered herself onto the stair next to him. They sat quietly for a moment before she drove her fist into his arm, and the side of her foot into his ankle.

"Hey. Ow!" Eddie grabbed onto his arm. "What the hell?"

"You stupid—stupid—stupid…" Averey landed a punch to his thigh, a prod to his side, and a flick to his ear. "Stupid gumby!" She smacked his shoulder. "'Hey?' That's all you have to bloody say?" She flicked him a second time. "Really?"

Eddie cowered away from her, laughing. "Gumby?" he repeated.

"Don't smile at me when I'm mad at you."

"It's nice to see you, too," Eddie replied. He slowly lowered his arms, waiting for any indication that she was going to hit him again. She hadn't ruled out an all-out kicking. They were all down to business and wanting to know the full story at S.T.A.R Labs. But now, she had free reign. And had to constrain herself, too. As awkward a formation it was, Averey wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a hug. His muscles tensed for a moment. Slowly, he hugged her back. "I missed you, too. All of you guys."

"Where have you been, Eddie?" Averey asked, ending the hug to brush her hair back behind her ears. Her voice cracked. She swallowed and tried again. "This whole time you've been back and nothing? You could have stayed at S.T.A.R. Labs."

"And be a test subject?" Eddie snorted. "No thanks. I wasn't much help last time I was there."

She lifted her eyebrows, doubting his words. _You want to bet?_ Averey thought.

"I don't even understand it myself. But, it was nothing short of a miracle." He reached into his shirt, removing the chain around his neck. "Or magic. So my Grandma Agnes says." He spun the disc between his fingers and slid his thumb over the gryphon. He cleared his throat. "My dad on the other hand, he doesn't believe in magic. He believes in cold hard facts on paper. At the same time, he believes it's sort of a protector of our family. Either way, I think it did its job."

"What do you think? You really think it's magic, mate?"

"I don't know about you—" he made an odd high-pitched noise, almost a laugh, in the back of his throat "—but, I don't know of many people who've shot themselves point blank in the chest and survived." Eddie tucked the necklace back under his shirt. "I woke up, who knows how long after. Hooked up to machines. My whole body hurt. I didn't know what was going on. But, I was alive." He placed a hand to his chest. "It took a long time for this to heal. Now you'd only think a freaking firework went off in my face, or something."

"Close enough. It went off with a bang, at least."

"The colors were fantastic. You really should've seen them." Eddie quickly sobered after a bark of laughter. "I didn't know where I was. I waited to get my strength back and just left. I didn't know what happened between shooting myself and waking up. I just remember S.T.A.R. Labs, and the singularity, and this bright swirling blue light. _The_ light, you know?" He squinted, eyebrows coming towards each other. "It had happened again. I was just walking down the street, and suddenly I was surrounded by this bright blue light. I was pulled off my feet. All this pressure pushed in around me." He made a ball shape with his hands, pressing them together until they were clasped. "Then I was here."

Averey gasped. "You went through a breach."

"A what?"

"That singularity that opened up downtown, it was a breach." Eddie's confusion didn't clear. "It's what we're now calling it. Everything pulled into it was dispersed through time and space." She rubbed her chin in thought. "Eobard was going to use it to jump forward in time, remember? It was how he was going to get home."

"Eobard, or Wells, or whomever said I wouldn't make a difference. Compared to the long line of Thawne's that come after me, I don't do anything special. You know that's something I've always worried about." Averey nodded. "No one thought I'd ever be as…" His nose wrinkled as he thought. "…Prominent as my dad. It just got to my head, and I started making everything count."

"Which is why you started keeping track of everyone you've helped."

"Partly."

"Right, Ian, too."

"And you." Averey hummed. "I may not make a difference on a grand scale like being a physicist or a chemist or an engineer, or whatever it is my future relatives are. But, I can make a difference where it counts."

"So, you shot yourself."

"You know, I've been shot before, but that one…" Eddie sucked in sharply through his teeth. "That really hurt. In all ways it could hurt, I guess." His voice softened. "I knew exactly what it was I was going to be losing. My home. My friends. Iris." His lips twitched. "Eobard wasn't exactly wrong."

"Mate…"

"I've spent all this time watching you all, live a life without me there." He chuckled. "It's eye opening that's for sure." He sighed deeply. "I don't see your camera. Figured you'd be snapping pictures of everything."

"Ah, haven't touched the camera in a while." Averey crossed one leg over the other, clasping her knee with her hands. "Since the singularity, it hasn't really held my attention long enough to get any work done. Outside of paid jobs, I mean. So, I haven't gotten around to touching the pictures of yours and Iris's engagement."

"I don't know if she'd still want them, anyway," Eddie replied, "all things considered."

"Ah, but I could have played your game and had them edited and sent out to receive on your anniversary," Averey replied. "If I had any idea when that was." Eddie pursed his lips. "You had that cupcake order done in advance. You knew what you were going to do. That whole time, you knew."

"It was the only thing I could think of," Eddie said grimly, nodding. "Like I said, I wasn't helping just being at S.T.A.R. Labs. Eobard would only continue to go chasing after Barry." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I stayed away _because_ I'm alive. Eobard only existed because of me. If I'm still here, he probably is, too. I didn't want to bring him to you."

"He would do that all by himself," Averey protested. "Barry… _you_ stopped him from getting what he wanted. If he's still out there, he'll continue to get things done the way he wanted them to end up."

"Everyone get ready, they're almost here!" Iris's excited voice floated up the stairs towards them. "Cisco, put down the cheese plate."

Averey watched Eddie's face brighten upon hearing Iris's voice. "So, are you two still engaged?" Averey asked. His expression slowly changed to confusion.

"I—I don't know," he replied. He blinked rapidly. "We haven't talked…" He put his chin in his hands. "Six months is a long time. I guess we just need to be reacquainted before we decide what's next."

Movement caught Averey's eyes and she peered out the glass window over the door to the West home. Squinting slightly, her vision zoomed forward, magnifying Barry and Henry's forms as they stepped out of Joe's borrowed car. Henry paused, staring up at the house. Smiling, Barry came up to stand next to Henry, putting his arm around his shoulders.

"Yeah," Averey said, "I know the feeling."

* * *

Barry's cheeks hurt within a few minutes of entering the West House. His feet would have hurt too with how often he would just follow his dad around the house. Now that Henry truly was free, he didn't want to miss a minute of having him back in his life. From everyone welcoming him home with congratulatory hugs, to joining Joe and Daniel outside as they smoked cigars, he didn't let his dad out of his sight.

After all, not only was his mom taken from him, but his dad was suddenly snatched away from him while he slept. Or rather, he snatched himself away from…himself while he was asleep. One minute he had them both, and in the next instant he was dropped off blocks away, out of sight. As far as anyone was concerned, that night, until he turned back up at the house, only Henry and Nora Allen lived in that house.

If he had been there, he could have told the police right off the bat what had happened. Instead, he got told over and over again that he had a bad dream and stumbled upon a nightmare. That he ran out of the house to keep himself safe. That a cardiologist would know all about how to pull off a crime such as this.

"Are you going to let me at least go to the bathroom by myself, Slugger?" Henry asked upon Barry's arrival into the kitchen. He lowered his glass of champagne and picked at his small plate of grapes and cheese. "Starting to feel like I'm back in Iron Heights."

Barry's stomach dropped. "O-oh," he said. "Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't—"

Henry chuckled. "Relax," he replied, "I'm just kidding." He popped a grape into his mouth and chewed. "You've always followed me around. Even when you were a kid." He lifted his voice to a higher octave. "'Dad, what does this do?', 'Dad, what's that?', 'Dad, what are we doing today?' And I never got tired of it."

"Really?"

"Of course not." He tapped his fingernails against the stem of his glass. "In fact, even when I told you to stop coming to Iron Heights, I missed it. I was glad you kept coming. Kept updating me on what was going on in your life. It helped knowing that while my life was on hold, you were still living yours."

"I told you I would get you out," Barry reminded him.

"I know," Henry replied, "and son, I'll forever be grateful that you did." He removed his hand from his glass, keeping it secured on the kitchen counter. Stepping up to Barry, he put his hands first on Barry's cheeks, pressing their foreheads together. Then he grasped Barry's shoulders. "You have always been much strong, Barry. Much stronger than I could have ever hoped to be."

"Dad…"

"I had to tell myself over and over again 'You're going to be just fine'," Henry continued. His warm, smoky breath washed over Barry's face. "You had Joe. You had Iris. You had everything I could not give you. Everything you needed. And you grew up to be such a fine young man. My young man. Always remember that."

Barry reached up to place his hands over his dad's. Giving himself a break from going cross-eyed, he closed them. "You remember what you told me when I was going to Florida for college?"

"Before or after I tried to talk you out of getting a degree in Criminology?"

Barry chuckled. "During."

"I believe I said that college is the first step to deciding how you were going to navigate life," Henry replied. "How you were going to face your options. You could either choose a career path you think would take you far in life—and not always like it, or you could choose a career path you love, and not always like it." He gently squeezed Barry's shoulders. "Either way—"

"Either way I damn well better work hard at it, to support the choices I've made," Barry said. "My choice was always you, dad. It wasn't some subject to ace."

Henry laughed out loud, shaking Barry from side to side. He removed his hands from Barry's shoulders. Barry's forehead instantly chilled when Henry leaned away. "And you smiled so wide when you came to tell me all about those report cards," he replied. "You know once you get into college, parents don't have to know your grades anymore."

Barry shrugged. "Your opinion was always important to me," he replied. "And come on, as if you didn't brag about me behind bars."

Henry's breath caught in his throat. "Actually," he said quietly, "I didn't talk about you much. People knew of you of course, what with the news." He waved his hand in the air. "There are some bad people in there. People with outside connections. I wasn't going to give anyone any chance of getting to you." He ran his hand over his mouth. "And with you being the Flash…You put a lot of people in there, son."

"I'm sorry," Barry said quietly. "I didn't realize. I was making it hard for you?"

"The only people making it hard for me on the inside were the C.O.s and anyone that couldn't get met o do what they wanted," Henry replied evenly. "Once people knew they could come to me instead of going to the infirmary, I didn't have to worry so much."

"Dad—"

" _Stop_ ," Henry said forcefully, "blaming yourself. You've done that far too long, Slugger. Now it's time to start thanking yourself." Barry gave him a look of confusion. "Thank your tenacity to go after something people would have given up on long ago. You've always been that way, not just for this case. It's a great quality to have."

Barry nodded his head, swallowing thickly. "How's it going out there?" he asked.

"Got some scotch and got a cigar," Henry said with a short laugh. "Not much to complain about."

"If you like sucking smoke into your lungs, sure," Barry said. He rubbed his stomach. "I think I got sick just off the smell."

Henry scrutinized Barry with a smile of amusement. "You've tried smoking before?"

"Once," Barry admitted. He let out a wheezy-laugh. "No, um, yeah, Iris and I we, um, snuck some— _one—_ when we were thirteen. Exactly one. I couldn't handle it." He bobbed is head back and forth. "And then there was a meta who could turn into a toxic gas."

"I won't ask." Henry locked eyes with Barry and the two of them started laughing.

Barry's laugh ended with a sigh. "You're not planning on staying, are you?" he asked. Henry blinked in surprise at the sudden change in topic. "Dad you just—you just got here." Henry pressed his lips together. He stared back at Barry. "Say something."

"Barry, I haven't been here," Henry said, his voice dropping to a low mumble. "Not the way I should have. Joe has done everything I was meant to."

"Are you mad at him? I-I don't get it."

"Of course, I'm not mad at Joe." A pained expression appeared on his face. "Maybe at one point, yes. For not believing me. For insisting that I was capable of doing something like that to your mother when he knew us for how long?" Barry pressed his lips together. "You are my son. It's my job to protect you and I haven't been able to do any of that." He sniffed. Shifted his weight from foot to foot. "It is hard being a parent, but it is even harder to know that you can not perform your duties as a parent no matter how much you want to. Joe taking you in was the best thing that could have happened to you, Barry. Just like Daniel is the best thing that could have happened to Averey."

"Averey!" Henry squeezed his eyes shut and Barry lowered his voice into a harsh whisper. "You're just going to leave her here. Again? After everything she went through just to find you?"

"I can't compete with what Joe and Daniel have already done for you two." Barry could hear the hurt in his voice. It was the same hurt that filled his voice when he insisted that he did not hurt Nora, as he was being pushed into the back of a cop car. His heart was breaking. Barry wanted to slap his hands over his ears and run. He was always good at running. But now, his legs wouldn't work. "I can't go back."

"You're not supposed to," Barry said, earnestly.

Henry sighed deeply. He bowed his head. Put his hands to his hips. Walked a small circle and faced Barry again. "You have been able to do amazing things without me there," Henry replied. "But, you've also had to deal with bullying, the media; things you never should have to deal with. If I stay, it'll just increase all of that."

"I was bullied before any of this happened," Barry protested. "Just because I liked science, and I was smart, and I really wasn't all that great in P.E." Henry stared at him. "Ok, I was terrible in P.E. But, I won most fights, remember? And I'm still doing it now."

"Yes, I know, there's a reason why I called you 'Slugger'," Henry said with a hint of a proud smile. "Baseball aside. Your mother always hated it." His smile disappeared. "Just like I didn't particularly like it knowing that every day, you were out there fighting—I mean _physically_ fighting—for me. That's not what I wanted for you. I never wanted you to base every decision in your life on me. But, you did. And now I'm out." He shook his head. "I can't ask you to do that for me, anymore. For the first time in years, I need to do things on my own, on my own terms."

"Which you can do _here_."

"And keep holding you back?"

"Dad, you're not—"

"And keep you having half of your mind on whatever you need to do as the Flash, and half on me?" Henry snorted. "No. I don't think so. You put half of your mind on the job, you're only doing half the work. You need every single part of this—" He reached out a hand and tapped Barry's forehead, "this giant brain of yours to do your job."

"My job is to keep Central City, and everyone in it, safe. Not only as a forensic assistant, but as the Flash. And you're part of Central City."

"Not as far as anyone else is concerned, I'm not."

"I don't care about that, dad."

"I do. For your sake. And for Averey's." He reached for Barry, and Barry took a step back. "I've thought long and hard about this, son. It's not just a spur of the moment decision. As long as I am here, neither of you will be living to your full potential."

"Or, we'd be doing better knowing that you're here," Barry replied. "Like you've always been."

"I was never there, Barry."

"Don't say that— _yes,_ you were." Barry laughed incredulously. "I still got to see you. I still got advice from you. You were there. In _every_ way that counts. In _every_ way that matters to me. Ok?"

Henry's gaze suddenly shifted over Barry's shoulder and he turned to see Joe hovering in the doorway. "Is everything ok?" Joe asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Henry snorted. "You know," he said, scratching his eyebrow with his index finger, "I may not have been around you for years. But, I can still tell when you're using your 'talk to me now' voice." Joe looked around the room, trying to look innocent.

Barry hid a smile. He had heard that voice all the time growing up. Not only when he was on the end of a paternal lecture from Joe, but he had also witnessed countless of suspects witness it as well. You had no choice in the matter. Either you spoke to Joe at the moment, or things would be even worse when he came back to speak to you a second time.

"You heard all of that?" Henry asked.

"I did," Joe replied. "Let me at least give it a shot; see if I can convince you to stay."

"Joe, there's nothing you could say to change my mind."

Joe briefly glanced over at Barry. But, he didn't say anything.

"Joe?" Barry asked, suddenly concerned. That was one look Barry hadn't seen since the day Joe had accepted that Henry had, in fact, not killed Nora. Guilt. "What's, uh, what's going on?"

"Nothing, Bare," Joe replied. He suddenly looked tired. "Nothing I can explain to you now. But you and I—" He used his index finger to indicate between himself and Henry, "we need to talk." Cheeks puffing up, Henry let out a sigh, but moved to follow Joe.

Barry watched them leave, a deep frown on his face. Crossing his arms over his chest, he turned and went in search for Averey. As he passed his friends, he placed a smile on his face, trying to remain chipper. Upon spotting her out the front window on the porch, talking quietly with Caitlin, he put a smile to his face.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said. "But, can I talk to Averey for a few minutes?"

"Sure," Caitlin replied. Barry held out his hand and helped her to her feet. "Thank you." Brushing the seat of her dress, Caitlin made her way back inside. Neither of them talked until the front door was pushed shut.

"How did you do it? he asked.

"Sorry?" Averey wrinkled her nose in confusion.

"When you were on house arrest," Barry replied. "What did you do that whole time to not go crazy? I mean, you had the TV, movies, Netflix even, and you hated it." Averey didn't answer. "It'd just be the same here, or wherever dad goes. Stuck inside because he's so afraid of what people will say about him."

Half of Averey's mouth lifted in a scoff-laugh. "I talked to myself," she replied.

Barry's eyebrows lifted. "You talked…"

"To myself." Averey nodded her head. "Still think I didn't go crazy, mate?" She reached into her pocket and retrieved her phone. Her thumb moved across the screen in quick strokes before she held it out to him. "Here. Watch this."

Barry took her phone, and held it landscape in his hand. He tapped on the picture on screen of Averey's face. He turned up the volume. "My name is Averey Moore," the Averey in the video said, "and life just keeps getting more unusual – criminal history aside. There are things I wish I could forget…I was given my abilities for a reason. My dad is still in Iron Heights for a crime he didn't commit, and now there's no way he'll be freed."

"Keep in mind, mate, this was before you got that video from Wells."

"Sssh!" Barry batted her hand away, keeping his gaze on the video.

The Averey on the screen was silent, checking an area off screen. Upon deciding the coast was clear, she continued her explanation. "As Visionary, I spent the last year helping the Flash fight the meta-humans that threatened the city. Though my actions have led me to a less than viable situation to, in fact, help and caused more collateral damage than I saw coming.

"This all started with a man from the future and a particle accelerator. It was to be used to expand the human race's knowledge of physics and, well, bloody everything. But, it all went wrong. More so than any of us could have imagined, yeah? Now some of our friends are gone, and I can't possibly foresee what's in store for us next. Maybe that's a good thing."

The video ended there.

"This really helped?" Barry asked, handing her back her phone.

"Cheers." She tapped her phone against her palm. "My mum suggested to write down everything I experienced during house arrest down," Averey explained. "Just to get it out of my head. Everything about Team Flash, I would record. I interned at the Nation Archives of Australia one term, so I picked up the habit of keeping records of everything. Staying organized. I may be able to remember everything, mate, but not everyone can." Her nostrils flared with a sigh. "He doesn't want to stay, does he?" Barry shook his head. "Damn."

"Joe's talking to him now," Barry replied. "The thing is, I don't blame him." He let out a shaky breath of air. His throat locked, and he pressed his fist to his mouth. "I think he wants to know it's ok to leave. That I understand. That _we_ understand. But, is it wrong to want him to stay?"

"No. No, it's not."

"He said he couldn't compete with Joe or Daniel, after everything they've already done for us." He sniffed loudly, dabbing at his eyes with his shirt sleeve. "I don't think I can handle losing anyone else." He furiously ran his hands over his face, before clasping his hands behind his neck. He slumped forward into his knees. "I can't."

"Well, you've got two back," Averey replied. "Eddie, and me. If you want me back on Team Flash I mean."

"When do you get your new monitor again?" he asked, voice muffled.

"Tomorrow."

"And it doesn't track you at all?"

"It just makes sure I'm back at a designated spot, my flat, for curfew."

"You know, you've had every opportunity to let Cisco trick your ankle monitor to say you were at home," Barry said, lifting his head. "You could have been at S.T.A.R. Labs with us the whole time."

"No," Averey shook her head back and forth. "Not this time. I wanted to see this through as honestly as possible. You, and Caitlin, and Cisco being around, it reminded me too much of it. And it was all we talked about." A hint of a smile came to her face. "You asked me how I stayed sane: I started listening to police scanners, too. I closed my eyes, and I could picture myself there. Doing better than you, by the way."

Barry ignored her dig. "You should teach Cisco all the codes," Barry commented. "He's still getting them mixed up." He turned to face her. "Three conditions."

"Name 'em."

"The second you need to leave S.T.A.R. Labs to make curfew, you leave. No ifs, ands, or butts about it. If you're going to make it through probation, you'll make it through with no issues."

"Says the man who snuck into my house, breaking a bloody important term of my house arrest."

"I own S.T.A.R. Labs, I can kick you out whenever I want," Barry instantly shot back. He laughed at the shocked expression on Averey's face. "Two…" He held his hand out towards her. Peering curiously at him, Averey placed her hand in his and a burst of speed later, they were standing outside his childhood home. Another quick zip, and they were both gripping bike handles.

"Oh, you can't be serious, mate," Averey said. She threw her head back in a laugh. "For real?"

"Beat me in a bike race," Barry said, swinging his leg over the seat. He set one foot on the pedal to quickly catch his balance. And to adjust himself. How long had it been since he was on one of these? He was taller now, he for sure needed to adjust the height of the seat. "And we'll talk about you rejoining Team Flash. First to the fire hydrant."

Shaking her head, Averey did the same, using her foot to release the kick stand. He grinned, watching her let out a small scream as the bike tilted. She kicked her legs before barely getting her tiptoes to the ground to keep her balance.

" _Buuut_ ," she said, sticking a finger into the air before pointing it at him, "you can't use your abilities."

"Ok," Barry shrugged good naturedly, "neither can you."

Averey scoffed. "What do you reckon?" she asked. "Pop my eyeballs out of my head?"

"I'm sure Caitlin could put them back," Barry said with a second shrug. Averey gaped at him and he used the inaction to his advantage. "Readysetgo!" Lifting himself up onto the pedals, he quickly pulled ahead of her.

"Hey! Bar-ry!"

He wasn't moving as fast as he could run, in fact he was sure he wasn't even moving at a fraction of his jogging speed, but still, he enjoyed the whistling in his ears as he sped down the street. Everything in his mind was drowned out by the loud rushing sound. His mind was clear, everything at the West home was far away. It was just him and his speed.

…and Averey who was steadily creeping into his blind spot. Then she was passing him. A fixture in his line of sight. He sped up. Still, she pulled ahead. Her legs rotated fast. Really fast. Almost too fast. Pressing his lips together, Barry lifted himself into a stand and powered his way through the final feet of their race course.

"I win." Grinning proudly, Barry swung his bike around to face Averey. She coasted across the imaginary finish line, barely puffing for air. "Did you get faster?"

"I've been working out." She stuck her tongue out at his broad grin. "Cheat," she said, dragging her feet along the ground to aid in the hand brakes. "Just like last time."

"So, you admit I won last time?"

"No way." She leaned to the side, carefully climbing off of her bike. "And three? The last condition?"

Barry tightened and loosened his grip on his handlebars. "I've always worried that if anything ever happened to dad, I wouldn't have any family left. But, that's not true. I have you. And I have the Wests, and Cisco, and Caitlin, and Professor Stein. But…I just need to know you'll be around."

"Ah, no worries there mate." Averey winked. "I'm not going anywhere."

He believed her. Of course, unlike Henry she didn't have a choice. The tightening of her jaw pointed out to Barry that she was aware of that fact, too.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

My apologies for the delay in this chapter. There were a couple of plot points and ideas I needed to re-work as I thought of a better way to go about them. Cisco and Dante's scene being part of it. Thanks to my sisters for helping me figure it out. Now that Henry is here, I can really get into the inter-relationships of everyone. I'm excited for you all to see how it plays out throughout the story.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Something you didn't understand and need further explanation on? Overall thoughts? Please leave a review. I appreciate every piece of feedback.

-Rhuben

 **.**

 **Review Replies:**

 _Guest:_ Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

 _Ethan:_ You did see some bitterness in Cisco's tone. However, I didn't mean to leave that line in the chapter at that moment (I have since gone back and removed it from the chapter). In the next chapter, you'll see more of that. You're actually _really_ close in regards to Averey and Iris and their relation to Eddie. And, you are correct, Averey's abilities are expanding (mutating?) to allow her to phase - although I'm not calling it that in this story.


	13. Can't Stop the Feeling

**Chapter Thirteen:** Can't Stop the Feeling

* * *

Henry nearly spit out his drink. Instead, he swallowed so quickly, the muscles in his throat spasmed and he fell into a coughing fit. Startled, Joe jumped to his feet. He grabbed Henry's wrists and lifted his hands into the air. " _Francine_?" Henry managed to choke out. "She's—" He pulled his hands away from Joe and covered the hard cough that pushed out of his chest. "She's _back_?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, reclaimed his seat. He nodded. A pained expression crossed his face. "And I don't know what she wants," he said. "Nor do I care." He dropped his hand to the table. "She's showed up at work and…" He was silent for a moment. "Barry saw me talking to her, but I don't think he recognized her. He and Iris were so young when she left."

"Yeah. He was."

Henry pulled his lips between his teeth. He stretched his arms up over his head and looked around his hotel room. Joe had insisted upon the hotel for the location of their conversation. There were too many people at the West house at the time, and it was too important a conversation to be had in the off chance anyone would overhear them.

Maybe it was easier to discuss the topic of family away from that safe space. There was nothing more temporary than a hotel.

On the floor of the open closet, his belongings spilled out of a bag. What little of them he had. The wastebasket was filled with crumpled bags of take-out food – he could barely remember how it tasted, he ate so fast now. The curtains over the windows were shut, chairs pressed against the windowsill, pulling them taut. He just wanted to make sure…

The pillows on his bed still held the imprint of his head, folding upwards in a V-shape. As usual, he had woken up at 4 O'clock on the dot, and waited for a correction's officer to come by for count. But now, it was just silent. Sometime in the middle of the night, he had switched off the TV; the noise had helped him fall asleep. Now, he had time to be left alone with his thoughts; the topic that morning was working through if he was going to attend the West family dinner that day.

He was glad he went. Getting a glimpse of the life Barry had built for himself in his absence was a proud moment. Sad, yet proud. His son had thrived. Both of his kids had.

The world was a change of pace compared to the four walls of grey in Iron Heights. Iron. It all certainly was designed around that color. Dark corridors, dark cells, dark people. The world looked like it was in HD the few instances he could actually get out to walk in the yard. And he didn't exactly know what HD was. But every inch of green from the trees, from the grass, the blues from the skies were an explosion of color.

There were so many times in prison he would close his eyes and picture what it would be like to be found innocent. It was almost as good as this. No, what he could imagine was better. He had his wife. He had his son. He had his life back. It wasn't perfect, but he was out. That was what was important. At least, that's what everyone told him. Reminded him, rather.

"Hey, Joe?" Henry asked.

Joe blinked in surprise. Clearly, it wasn't the response he was looking for to his admission. "Yeah?"

"Move your chair over this way?" Henry lifted his hand, waving it towards the left. Joe glanced over his shoulder. "I can't see the door." Joe did as he asked. "Thanks." He rolled is shoulders, allowing himself to relax slightly in his seat.

If there was something he took away with him from Iron Heights, it was that he needed a good view of the room and its closest exits. Fights could break out at any minute, and he didn't want to be involved. Or look like he was involved. Or look like he was interested in the outcome. He already had enough people talking about him, he didn't need to give them another reason.

He also grew to be anxious whenever he was closely followed. Nora had always boasted about having eyes on the back of her head, and he wished he had developed that level of awareness. Makeshift weapons were passed around under the watchful eye of even the most experienced corrections officers. One day, that spine of a book jabbed into his back could turn out to be a shiv and he wouldn't have known the difference. He didn't even realize he had been stabbed until his knees gave out, and the searing pain radiated outwards from the wound. If he had noticed he was being followed, would it had even happened?

All day long, that was the only thing Barry had done: follow him around. Who was he to tell his son not to do that?

It was all they both had wanted: to get their family back together. Whenever Barry had come around at Iron Heights, Henry did his best not to get his hopes up. His hopes on any good news involving his case, or maybe an appeal finally went through, or someone was willing to listen to his story. _Really_ listen. But everyone had already made up their minds about him. Not that he could blame them; he lived it, and his story sounded incredibly far-fetched even to himself.

Yet, Barry had insisted that he would find enough evidence to get Henry out. Henry tried to be accepting of his son's choices on how to spend his life. Didn't his dad always tell him it was his job to always be supportive of his son, even if he didn't fully understand the choices he made in life? That may be so, but Iron Heights didn't follow the rules of society. It was better to be realistic, and to wait until things were actually happening to accept it. Too many times he had promises and reassurances ripped away from him.

 _Isn't that what you're doing? Ripping yourself away from Barry?_ Henry swallowed thickly. _Getting you back was all he wanted. Now you want to leave…_

"Do you think she's going to leave like you asked?" Henry asked. His chair creaked when he crossed one leg over the other.

"Francine has never done what I asked," Joe replied. "I've asked her numerous times to choose her family. And you saw how that turned out."

Henry made a humming sound, rubbing his chin. "You and I have both seen what addiction does to people," he said. "It's not easy to recognize you'll be in recovery for the rest of your life, let alone to recognize you need help."

"I had given her plenty of opportunities to get help…" Henry didn't answer, seeing the far off look on his friend's face. Joe was talking out loud more than he was talking to Henry in that moment. A moment later, his eyes were trained on Henry. "I thought I was doing the right thing."

"I know," Henry agreed. "I thought I was, too." It still amazed him after all these years, just how impactful for a child a parent's decision was. That was his biggest fear when Nora had announced to him when they had finally gotten pregnant: that his parenting decisions wouldn't be the best for his future child. That he wouldn't be a "good parent."

Joe's words broke through his thoughts. "Having you back was the only thing Barry has always wanted." Henry sighed through his nose. "Every single birthday, and every Christmas, he would wish for your freedom."

Henry let out a derisive laugh. "I don't need you to remind me, Joe," he said. "I don't need you to remind me that I have spent those same fifteen birthdays and Christmases wishing for the same thing. Wishing that Barry would just find peace and move on." He jabbed his finger tip into the table top. "Don't tell me what I've missed. I'm very well aware."

"I'm sorry." Joe settled back in his chair, hands held defensively in front of him. A pensive look crossed "Why do you want to leave?"

Henry hesitated before answering, looking his friend over. He looked into Joe's eyes and didn't find an accusatory look. He wasn't judging. He wasn't silently pleading like Barry had been doing for years.

"Barry," Henry quickly caught himself, "and Averey have so much going on in their lives right now." Now that he was out, he really needed to make sure it stayed that way. "They're doing so much more than I could ever hope and dream for them. They need to put their attention on that. Not me."

"But—"

"People will think what they want to think. And people inside think I'm a snitch. I was attacked for it, and I was just trying to help Barry. Help the Flash." Henry let out a laughing scoff. "And I did everything I could to make sure I survived another day in there. I kept my mouth shut. I put my medical studies to good use. Well, as best as I could without the equipment I'd have in a hospital."

"True."

"And it was because I worried about what they could do to me inside. Before I was attacked, Barry never really had to deal with it. Thanks, in part, to you. Thank you for at least trying to keep him away from Iron Heights." He gave Joe a small smile, which his friend returned. "I didn't want him to have to hinder his life for me. I never did."

"You just want your kids to life a happy life and discover what it is they want to do with it," Joe agreed. Henry nodded. "I never wanted Iris to worry about whether or not I'd make it home after a day of work. But she did. Knowing she was waiting, though, it helped me through the hardest days."

"I know what you mean," Henry said softly. "That's why it's easier for everyone if I just leave." Henry rushed on when Joe looked like he was going to protest. "You know as well as I do that they have far reach outside the walls of Iron Heights." Joe nodded. "If they want to get to me, they'll find a way to do so."

"So, what are you going to do?" Joe asked. "Do you have a plan?"

"My dad has this house in the mountains," Henry explained, "not too far from the city. I always loved it up there. Being out in nature has always calmed me." He shrugged. "It's a bit of a fixer-upper, but in all honesty, it's always been that way. We used to take Barry up every summer."

"The Kaiser Mountains," Joe said with a nod. "You know Barry has them tattooed on his rib cage." Henry blinked in surprise. "He knows I know but won't ever outright admit it. You should have seen the lengths he went through to try and hide it."

Henry gave a fleeting smile.

"You know that guilt, that worry that you're not doing the right thing as a parent, it doesn't go away," Joe commented. "Even when you get those '#1 Dad' mugs, and 'Best Dad in the World' shirts for Father's Day." He tapped his fingers on the table. "Francine was a danger to Iris and I would do everything in my power to protect her. Even, as hard as it was, it meant cutting off contact with her. But you are not a dangerous man, Henry Allen. If you leave now, you're giving up the chance to learn more about your kids as adults. And I'm worried, this will make Averey really feel like she's being abandoned by you." Henry fixed him with a stare. "I know, who am I to say that when I've been dealing with Francine the way I have? Averey and I aren't as close as me and Barry. I mean, we don't ever really talk, unless it's meta related."

Henry grumbled under his breath, running his hands over his face. Joe stopped talking as the growl got louder. "You don't get it: it's not me I'm worried about!" Henry removed his hands from his face. "It's them: it's Barry and Averey. And you. And Iris. And Daniel and Ellie. You had to deal with it fifteen years ago, maybe more than I wanted to think or accept. And now, just because I'm out, I'm making things hard for you again."

"You're not—"

"Joe, if I sue the city for wrongful imprisonment—and I've had a lot of time to think about it—you will have to go on the stand and admit that you were wrong." Joe's mouth formed a thin line. "That you had made a mistake that night. You've have built up a tremendous career over the years, and I do not want to be responsible for You already have to have people sitting in squad cars watching your house, I'm not going to put you through that. Any of you."

"It's not like they're not already talking about us," Joe reminded him. "Iris has been saying that her colleagues at CCPN have been trying to get her to talk about it. And, the Kingstons had the news on their front lawn, just to get a quote from Averey. Barry even told me that they were waiting for you outside of Iron Heights."

Henry shook his head. "If I never got out, they wouldn't have ever known about her."

"You also wouldn't ever get the chance to know her. Or Barry." He hummed. "And Francine wouldn't know about Iris, I suppose."

With each passing second of Henry's sigh, he deflated more and more in his seat. "Do you know what they said to me when I was being released?" he asked after an extended silence. Joe shrugged his shoulders. "'You'll be back.' No one believed that I would make it out here. Sometimes, I don't think I will either."

"Don't say that."

"It's been so much time. When you're out there—" Henry motioned with his thumb towards the window, "waking up, going to work, coming home to dinner, day in and day out, you don't realize how much time – days, weeks, months—has passed. Same thing with Iron Heights; wake up for count, go to breakfast, walk the yard, read until dinner, read until count, go to sleep I'm still going through the day in the exact same way."

"You'll break out of that routine soon."

"So much has changed, and I didn't even realize it." Henry dropped his gaze to his lap. "But people don't forget, and they won't forget what I've supposedly done. Maybe they're waiting for me to prove I'm actually the way they think I am, and I'll do something again."

"You didn't do anything!"

"You know what I mean." Henry swallowed. "And, I get it. Because of all of this, and what people choose to think of me, what they choose to believe, it's made them scared of me. Scared of what I could do next. Honestly? I'm just as scared." Henry lifted his head to look Joe in the eye. His throat suddenly locked up. Bowing his head, he burst into tears. His shoulders shook. Tightly grasped his hands in his lap. Got to his feet and rapped the table twice with his knuckles before he started to pace. "I'm so scared."

"Me too," Joe admitted from behind him.

..

Barry stared into the deep reaches of the Pipeline. A gentle breeze blew past him, bring in the fresh air through the gaps in the ceiling of the building. From deep inside the reaches of the Pipeline, the sound of shifting tiles, and thuds of heavy parts of buildings falling to the floor were distant. Another reminder of what S.T.A.R. Labs could have become.

If not for the evil genius who only used it for his personal gain.

He could picture the intense stare behind the glasses of the Harrison Wells persona he took on. The slow, quiet, smooth talking of a man Barry had idolized for years. Barry scoffed. His eyes darted around from empty pod to empty pod, before they landed on the track on the floor.

Bits of debris were still scattered around the walkway. He could have it all cleaned up in no time Even before S.T.A.R. Labs was officially given to him, he kept the place as tidy as possible; maybe out of some sort of obligation to what he had been given. He wasn't entirely sure. It was the explanation he had given to Cisco; insisting he would go through the closing process of S.T.A.R. Labs that night, however.

He just needed to get out of the party for a little bit. While it was nice to celebrate this occasion with Henry. It was still a reminder of _why_ they were all there. Finally having his dad back, and without his mom, and knowing that he was thinking of leaving again...he just needed some space. He had kept a positive demeanor as much as he could, but the second he was alone, it felt like he had taken twenty-five laps around the Earth – he was that drained of emotion.

Soon after arriving, he found himself walking around S.T.A.R. Labs. He had been there for over a year, helping keep the city safe, witnessing events and inventions that scientists could only dream of, and he never once took the time to look around the facility. He knew what it was like from the outside looking in; spending time wondering what it was like to just set foot inside the rounded walls. Then he got the chance to actually be inside! Not under the best circumstances, but once he looked past how drastically his life had changed, and was going to change, it was pretty cool.

After everything, though, he couldn't bring himself to do something as simple as cleaning the Pipeline. In fact, he could barely get himself to come down to the Pipeline at all. Not that he ever needed a reason to after all of the previous meta-humans had escaped. Still…it was time.

Barry knew that he had to fully face what had occurred, if he was going to lead Team Flash moving forward. The world didn't stop just because his felt like it had. Even he had to slow down and allow time to catch up with him every once in a while.

Turning on his heels, he slapped his hand against the panel on the wall. With a _beep_ and a _hiss_ the Pipeline door slid shut behind him. He walked the halls of S.T.A.R. Labs with purposeful steps, only slowing down and coming to a stop in the Cortex.

"We're all still here," Barry said quietly. The soft hum of the machinery and flashing of the computer screens as the software was updated and the system was rebooted. He could almost laugh at the turn of events. Here he was, Eobard Thawne's greatest enemy. He was alive and well despite his Eobard's efforts to destroy him. "We're still going despite what's happened. Despite everything you've done."

How different would things be if he had never encountered Eobard Thawne in the future? Or if he never chased after him to the past. What would have changed if he saved his mom? He probably wouldn't have met Caitlin and Cisco – not until years from now. Nostrils flaring with a sigh, Barry said, "There was one good thing that you did, though; you brought us all together. Guess I should, uh, thank you for that. For giving me some of the greatest friends I've ever had."

Barry's words nearly died on his lips. Thank him? Thank Eobard? He had done so many terrible things in his life, why did he deserve to be praised for all of the good things? His eyes drifted to the chair-less station Dr. Wells used to control.

"You even gave me advice about saving my mom." Barry chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I don't understand why you would do that. Why would you give me that chance? So you could do it all again? Better? Actually succeed?" He turned a slow circle around the room, eyes landing on his suit, propped up on the mannequin.

His shoes squeaked on the linoleum flooring as he slowly stepped towards his lifeless suit. Powered down. Empty. "Why did I listen to you concerning _everything else,_ but I couldn't listen to you the _one time_ it was important?" The high, curved ceiling of the alcove bounced his words around him. " _Why?_ "

Running a hand over his mouth, he turned away from his suit. He wasn't talking to Eobard anymore, but himself. Why hadn't he listened? Why didn't he just save his mom? "Because it could have been a trick," Barry whispered. "Just like everything else. If he went back to his time…" His shoulders lifted and dropped in time with his heavy sigh. "Things could have been worse. They had gotten worse. And still you listened to him. Just one more time, why didn't you listen to him?"His voice shook. Barry squeezed his eyes shut. "Everything in your life has been decided for you, when are you finally going to do things for yourself?"

Now.

Half expecting Eobard's cold voice to come over the sound system, Barry hesitated before turning back towards his suit. "You won," he said, pressing his index finger to the emblem on the chest of his suit. "Because Ronnie and Eddie were brave enough to go against what Eobard told them. Be like them. Be brave, Flash."

Averey was right: talking to yourself helped.

Tracing the lightning bolt, Barry smiled to himself, feeling a sudden rush of electricity through his body. He felt his hair stand on end. Static built up in his legs and he shook them, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

Whatever was going to come next, he would be ready for it.

* * *

It was Tuesday, and Cisco still couldn't believe that they had a breach siting under S.T.A.R. Labs without anyone knowing about it.

"I don't know why we never thought of looking down here before." Cisco shook his head back and forth. Arguing with himself, he had reasoned that between the Pipeline, his office, and the Cortex, he hadn't taken the time as of late to really get a look around at S.T.A.R. Labs. Why _would_ he even begin to entertain the idea of anything out of the ordinary being housed at S.T.A.R. Labs. Even the sarcasm was in full affect in his thoughts.

The constantly pulsing, twisting, and formless glob that was the biggest breach in Central City had stared back at him over the past couple of days. He only broke his ongoing staring contest with it whenever a device they threw into it came shooting back out – returning with no data for himself or Professor Stein to dissect. Or even become one step closer in learning how to stabilize it. Even throwing Jay's helmet into the breach only shot it back towards them, putting a nice dent into the wall behind Cisco's head. If he had needed his hair cut at the moment, he would have gotten a pretty close buzz.

Since the discovery of the breach, the two of them would meet at S.T.A.R. Labs and get to work. Rolling white boards, and carts carrying equipment were lugged from Cisco's office to the basement. Leaving the room only for bathroom and food breaks (Cisco still had to bring food for the only metahuman in the Pipeline) bring all the equipment needed on rolling carts, and bounce deductions off of each other. They weren't any closer to figuring out how to stabilize the breach. And unsaid frustrations were building.

"Patience, Mr. Ramon," Professor Stein said. He removed his glasses from his face and pinched the bridge of his nose before setting them back on again. He placed his hand on the domed top of Jay's discarded helmet. It didn't even have a dent in it. "A scientific breakthrough doesn't come over night."

Hands planted on a cart holding his computer, Cisco let out a loud "Ha!" He straightened, backs of his knees hitting a stool behind him. Turning to face Professor Stein, he crossed his arms over his chest. "If they did, I wouldn't have pulled so many all-nighters in college."

"Ah, and that was your mistake," Professor Stein commented. "It is eight hours of sleep that ensures a healthy brain. Lack of sleep also hinders logical thinking as I'm sure you're aware."

"Yeah," Cisco agreed, "but you get all the left-over doughnuts and pizza orders that weren't picked up." He shrugged at Professor Stein's stare. "It's the college diet. I didn't make it up."

"No, you just added to your body and mind's deterioration by consuming fatty foods so late at night." A twinkle came to Professor Stein's eye. "Between you and me, my go to late night nibble was fried chicken."

"Oh, ho, ho." Cisco pushed his hair back behind his ears. "Professor, I never would have guessed. Fried chicken, huh?"

"Little did I know Clarissa, as astute as ever, would purposefully buy more chicken than the two of us could consume on any night." He smiled softly. "She knew about my habit and wanted to accommodate without letting on that she knew. I didn't realize until she decided to join me one night."

"That's cute." He smiled. "And totes relationship goals."

Professor Stein's eyebrows twitched, briefly looking confused. Or amused. It was the same look on his face when Cisco had to explain to him what tweeting and hashtags were. "She'd always been in tune to my needs," he commented. "Whenever I needed space, or had a long day at work, stuck on a problem, or whenever I was holding anything back. She always knew how to say and do the right thing."

"Uh huh." Cisco nodded. His eyes narrowed slightly.

He knew this ploy whenever he heard it. Instead of coming out with whatever it was they had an issue with, which was a lot, so it gave him plenty of practice to recognize the signs. They would talk around the subject. Maybe throw in a personal anecdote or two for comfort and bonding. Not that he bonded that much with his family as the years went on. Still, comparing Professor Stein's acts to those of a parent came out of nowhere yet felt right at the same time. He was more of a father than his own had been in the little bit of time that Cisco had known the Professor.

"What is it you want to ask me about?" Cisco prompted. Professor Stein was silent for a moment, moving to retrieve the rounded data receptor off the floor. Spinning it in his hand, Professor Stein looked Cisco over before throwing it to him. Catching it in one hand, Cisco set it down on his rolling work station. "Go ahead and ask."

"Well, I think it would be pretty rude to ask you, _straight up_ as the kids say, 'What's going on with you'?" Professor Stein replied with a short scoff.

"But, that's what you're asking." Cisco put a hand to his hips. "Ok, I see that question and raise you 'What are you talking about?'"

"Well, there was your sudden intellectual acuity to turn on the news to discover that Miss Patty Spivot had been abducted," Professor Stein replied. "And, let's not forget this." He indicated Jay's helmet. "There's something about this helmet."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, it led us to looking down here, determining that this breach isn't stable." Professor Stein spun the helmet in his hands. "And you said that Jay told you how we could go about doing so, when, in fact, he has not." Cisco opened his mouth. No sound came out. "I know it's not _cool_ to hang out with someone my age, but I've spent a great deal amount of time with you lately. I've noticed on a fair few occasions, that you get…odd, for a lack of a better phrase, over this." He held the helmet out towards Cisco. Cisco looked at it, and then back up at Professor Stein. "What is going on?"

Cisco let out a long sigh and moved to sit on the stool behind him. "I don't want to know what's going on," he replied. "Because I'm afraid of what it means to be…" He shook his head. "Nevermind."

"What it means to be…?" Professor Stein prompted. Cisco stayed silent. "Different? Mr. Ramon, let me assure you, being an intellectual already makes you stand out." Cisco lifted an eyebrow. "The name 'Smarty Marty' isn't as endearing as one would think. But, that is not what you are referring to, I'm sure."

"It's not," Cisco admitted. He shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I haven't told anyone else, because I haven't exactly figured this all out. I mean, in some ways I have, watching the Flash—and Visionary, I guess—but it's different now."

"That's why we share ideas," Professor Stein reminded him. "To get different opinions and ideas on how to tackle a subject."

"I'm not something you can test," Cisco protested. Professor Stein's eyebrows rose. He stayed silent. "I mean…I'm not…I mean I _have_ been trying to test it. But nothing's been working. I don't know what causes it, or what when it'll come around again. I always think they're gone and then they just come back."

Professor Stein cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up his nose with his index finger. "Just to be clear," he said, "we are discussing the topic of your, um, visions. Yes? Is—is that what you're calling them?"

"I don't call them anything." Cisco pressed his lips together. "Because I don't know what they are. It's not a vision if I don't really experience it. Right?"

"Well…"

"I mean, I had _one_ —" Cisco threw his hands in the air. He waved them around, thinking fruitlessly for another word. "Vision. One vision where I had a hand shoved through my heart. _Surprise._ That never actually happened. Even though it did. Somehow." He started pacing. "It-it's like I freeze, and my brain is ripped from my skull and transported somewhere else. It's like I'm there, but I know I'm not." Cisco slid his hands over his hair, pulling it tight at his temples. "I can feel myself in these places. I hear, smell, and see _everything_." He stared down into his palms. "But, I can also feel that I'm _here._ And then when I get back my stomach is in knots, and I'm shaking, and my head hurts so bad…And then it's just gone. Like it never happened."

"Which is exactly how you looked after you had touched Mr. Garrick's helmet," Professor Stein said to Cisco.

"I don't want to be like this," Cisco said quietly. "I…I set my apartment on fire once just trying to figure out what it was that was going on with me." Professor Stein reacted in alarm. "Just a small fire. I mean, I had to move apartments, but still."

Professor Stein chuckled. "You had all of S.T.A.R. Labs at your disposal, and you still tried to figure this out on your own?"

Cisco let out a wry laugh. "We may use S.T.A.R. Labs as our top-secret-ultra-cool hidden base and all," he commented, "but it's not always the best place to go for privacy."

"However, it _is_ the best place to go upon discovering that you are, indeed, a metahuman," Professor Stein said evenly.

Cisco sighed. There. It was all laid out now. The one word he was too scared to use in reference to himself. But, it was the only logical conclusion he could come to.

He was a metahuman. He had abilities. He had responsibilities now.

Responsibilities to keep the city safe. Not that he didn't already have that on his shoulders as one member of the Team Flash support team. Did that mean he needed to go out on the field? He could barely control his abilities. How would just getting visions of things he couldn't even reconjure seconds later help Barry in the middle of a fight?

This was nothing like defending himself from bullies.

Sitting in S.T.A.R. Labs giving Barry coordinates, and botched police codes, and reading off maps of the city was one thing. Being out there was entirely different. Barry had the hands-on tasks when it came to their work, but Cisco and Caitlin held down the fort. Caitlin used her understanding of the human body to take down an opponent, and Cisco supplied the tools necessary to do so.

He was the one who hacked into security cameras and police scanners. He was the one who had to listen to not only the desperate calls from Barry for help, but other officers on the scene. Officers, who were some of the bravest people in the city begging for their lives, or for backup for an event they were unequipped to handle – which explained all the calls from Captain Singh about wanting the next device to help officers, or future plans involving guest teaching Academy courses.

But he always had a computer screen in between himself and whatever was happening on the streets. It was a wall that allowed him to switch everything off at the end of a long night, to be resumed the next time a distress call came in. Compartmentalization, as he had heard being used around the CCPR precinct a lot. If he didn't have his mind on the job, allowing himself to get into the zone, he and Caitlin wouldn't work well together. And as a result, they wouldn't work well with the Flash.

But, he couldn't lie. Sometimes, it was really hard to just sit and listen to it all without feeling some sort of way about it. Guilt. Fear. Apprehension. Or an amalgam of all three, he wasn't sure. He couldn't focus on it or he wouldn't be doing his job right. His job behind the computers. That's where it was safe. That's where he belonged. That's where he could be of most help to the Flash.

"You would agree, yes?"

Cisco opened and closed his mouth. He cleared his throat. "Of course," he replied weakly. "But, it's different now. It's—it's me."

"I understand how scared you are, Cisco," Professor Stein replied. "Ronald and I myself…" He sighed through his nose. Setting the helmet in his hands down onto his own rolling cart, he seemed to talk to himself more than Cisco. "It was so hard to talk some sense into him. To let him know that it would be okay, and of the utmost importance to seek help." A small smile appeared on his face. "But not Ronald. No, no, he didn't want anyone, let alone his dear Caitlin, to know that he wasn't the same anymore. I understood of course, I didn't want Clarissa to try and understand that her husband was alive and well, but in a younger man's body."

"I'm not going to comment on that," Cisco said with a laugh through his nose.

"Yes, well—" Professor Stein quickly sobered from a short laugh. "It certainly was a terrifying situation, but Ronald and I worked together. We learned to control our abilities together. It took time, of course, but we trusted each other and learned from each other. Just like what you've built here with Barry and Caitlin." He looked Cisco in the eye. "None of that will change."

"I don't know," Cisco said, using his hand to indicate the breach, "things have been changing pretty fast around here."

"Ah, yes, but isn't that what science is at the root of it all?" Professor Stein asked. "Through observation and experimentation, we can grow to understand how and why things of this world change. And from that, what we can theorize and deduce?"

Cisco smiled reluctantly. "Yes," he replied.

"And, if I'm not mistaken," Professor Stein gave him a knowing smile, "you have already thought up of a plethora of things you could design and build to help you determine the cause of your abilities, and how to manage them." He snapped is fingers. "Which, if I'm not mistaken, would have been the cause of said fire at your previous place of residence."

Cisco's smile widened. "Maybe."

"Ah ha. I thought so."

Cisco watched Professor Stein go back to his station, a sad smile on his face. From the get go, he had silently accepted Ronnie's death. Like the others, he had distanced himself from S.T.A.R. Labs initially upon the news. But, he had kept his promise and was only a phone call away. In the days Barry would blitz in and out of S.T.A.R. Labs while Cisco would work on whatever assignment Captain Singh had for him, Professor Stein would listen to whatever little problem he had. Every little problem. Just like Ronnie had when Cisco was still new to S.T.A.R. Labs.

 _He and Professor Stein were more alike than they thought,_ Cisco thought to himself. _It's no wonder they were both chosen to be Firestorm._ Cisco froze. Firestorm. Two people with an otherwise unstable power, bonded with the—"Quantum splicer," Cisco whispered.

"Sorry?"

"The quantum splicer," Cisco said louder. "It's what kept you and Ronnie from going nuclear. It gave you the energy you needed to counteract the energy being expelled from your body."

"Of course, nuclear reactions are due to radiation being expelled from decaying atoms," Professor Stein said, eyes lighting up. "The breach is essentially is collapsing on itself. If we find a way to give it the correct energy, or matter, to solidify itself."

"We can make it stable," Cisco agreed with a nod.

"Eureka!" Professor Stein held out his hand for a shake at the same time Cisco lifted his into the air for a high five. "Oh, um." With a smile, Professor Stein curled his fingers into a fist, and Cisco bumped it with his own. "Shall we get started?"

"Yes." Cisco reached for the phone in his pocket. He checked the time. "Ahh, but I need to head upstairs. Averey will be here any minute so we can start figuring out how she can walk through shadows or whatever. By all means, start without me. Whatever you come up with, I'll be happy to build."

After a quick elevator ride up to the main floor of S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco found Averey standing in the middle of the Cortex, looking over the Flash suit. A gym bag hung off her shoulder, hitting the side of her leg as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. She turned, lifting her hand in a small wave when she heard him approach.

"Hey," Cisco greeted, stepping into the Cortex, "so let's get started. Caitlin is back here tomorrow, so she can run all the diagnostics on you and everything." He motioned for Averey to follow him. "You can explain to me again how this all happened." Noticing that Averey wasn't following him, he stopped walking. "What?"

"Hi, Cisco, nice to see you, too," Averey replied. Cisco stared at her. "Is this all we're going to talk to each other about now? S.T.A.R. Labs work? Mate, I didn't always understand whatever science thing you'd talk about, but that was more stimulating conversation."

Cisco's nostrils flared when he released a deep sigh. "You never wanted to discuss how you were doing, so…" He shrugged.

"Yeah, well, that was stupid." Cisco's eyebrows twitched. "I don't want that to be the only thing we talk about, either." Averey bit down on her bottom lip. "We don't have much to talk about at all, do we?"

"Guess not," Cisco replied. "But that was never a problem. TV, movies, music, whatever 'science thing you didn't understand'." He almost smiled. She almost did, too. He cut out the teasing tone creeping into his voice. "We could always talk. I told you a lot of things I have never told anyone else. A lot of the time we spent together was just talking."

"Just because you spend a lot of time with someone doesn't mean you really know them." Cisco made a humming sound. "I mean, we didn't know a lot of each other before we started kinda-dating. We just had S.T.A.R. Labs and metahumans in common."

"'Kinda-dating'?" Cisco repeated. He opened and closed is mouth. No, they hadn't been "kinda-dating" if anyone were to ask him. You didn't go meet the parents of someone you "kind of date." You didn't share tough memories, hopes, and fantasies with people you "kind of date." It was already hard enough for him to get close to a girl at all. Now, when he thought there was something special, it wasn't as important to her? No. He shook his head. "Isn't dating how you get to know each other?"

"Yeah, but…that wasn't really me." Averey slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. The strap to her gym bag slipped down her arm, caught on the device Cisco noticed was strapped to her wrist. She didn't bother to fix it. "You were dating someone who wasn't being themselves. And it wasn't nerves that was triggering it, although you did make me pretty nervous from time to time, yeah?" Cisco's eyes widened in surprise. He noticed her fleeting smile. "I was trying to feel normal despite all the bad stuff I was doing."

"So, you used me." Cisco slowly nodded. "All of us."

Averey made a face. "Normally I would deny it," she said, "but it's true. Reckon it doesn't matter what my intentions were, because I still ended up hurting you." She looked him in the eye. "I apologize, Cisco." she said. "Out of everyone, it was you I hate knowing I have hurt with my actions the most. You've been nothing but a great friend. Ever since I got here."

"Yeah, I have been," Cisco declared. "And it sucked to be tossed aside. Again." Averey pressed her lips together. "I mean, I guess I should be happy you're not into my brother or anything, I guess."

"No offense, mate," Averey commented, "but I'll give it a miss. Dante's a little too much of a cigar-by-the-fireplace-in-a-bathrobe type, if you know what I mean." Her nose wrinkled when she made a face for the second time. "You don't have to worry about that."

"I know what you mean," Cisco said with a grin. "Did you see how he was dressed at his birthday party?" He hit himself on the forehead with the palm of his head. "What am I saying? Of course you do. I'll apologize to you for that. _No one_ should remember something like that."

Averey slowly shook her head back and forth, smiling. He matched her smile with one of his own. "You're making this too easy for me," Averey commented.

"Don't make me regret it," Cisco replied. He bobbed his head back and forth, twisting his mouth to the side. "Also, I don't really have a choice since that bike race or whatever. Since Barry is my boss, I have to be civil."

"How noble of you," Averey said flatly. "It's really inspiring. Truly." She gave him a teasing smile.

Cisco let out a sarcastic laugh. "So, you're back on the tether then?" he asked, pointing at her wrist. He rolled his eyes, holding back a smile when Averey flexed her wrist, twisting it this way and that as if showing off a new watch.

"And it goes with everything," she declared with over the top enthusiasm. "Just have to be within 50 feet of the home base by ten every night. I told Tracey I preferred morning shifts at Jitters, anyway." She nodded in place of the silence falling over the two of them.

"Um, so, you got your job back? You have no idea how hard it's been for us without Jitters." Averey pretended to pout, and he laughed. "I can't start my day without Jitters."

"Got my job back on two conditions," Averey said. "I'm on a probationary period until the new year and…" Her eyes narrowed slightly. Suddenly, she looked uncomfortable. "You weren't, um, planning on going to Jitters' grand opening celebration, were you?"

"Oh, Cait and I are making it a point to drop by," Cisco replied, emphatically. "Why?"

"Uhhh, no reason." Averey waved her hand in the air. "Just asking. Sounds like it'll be a good event. And for once, it's a good thing that the news will be around."

Cisco groaned. "Yeah, I'm sorry you guys have to deal with that," he said. " _Still_ have to deal with that, rather."

"Yeah." Averey crossed one leg over the other. Her nose wrinkled. "And they pronounce my name wrong all the time."

"How?"

"With an 'a' like 'apple'," Averey replied. "Av-er-ett. Not like Ayv-ritt. You'd think if they took the time to do enough research to know I exist, they'd learn how to pronounce my name correctly."

"Hi," Cisco said, putting his hand in the air, "I'd like to introduce myself: Franco Ramen." Averey's jaw dropped and she laughed. How long had it been since he heard that? "After the accident people would do _anything_ to get a picture. So, I get it. And I really am sorry."

"I'm sorry, too." Averey jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "Guess I should get changed, yeah?"

"Before you go, can I ask you something?" Cisco asked. Averey nodded. "Why did you push me away? Maybe you're embarrassed about everything, sure. You told me you were frustrated you couldn't go anywhere, I got that. But, I didn't think that was the full story."

"I was angry," Averey replied. Cisco nodded, urging her to continue. "About a lot of things. I was angry about what I had done since coming overseas, how I had acted the previous year, and getting myself onto house arrest." She shook her hair out of her face, taking in a breath of air. "And, I was angry that everything just kept going. Eddie and Ronnie just didn't exist anymore. In the little bit of time I could go outside, I hated seeing people act so normal. I know I whinged a lot, but it sucked. The singularity had destroyed businesses downtown, people got hurt, and a few people died, and it was like a day later and no one cared. How could they all be so happy when people I cared about was gone?"

"Why did the rest of us get to leave and do whatever we wanted when Ronnie and Eddie couldn't," Cisco said. Averey nodded. "I get it."

Averey's expression softened. "I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"No, I know. I tried not to take it so personally, but Barry wasn't needing my help anymore; Caitlin was moving to work at Mercury Labs; and Professor Stein wanted to spend more time with Clarissa." Cisco scratched at the back of his head. "I already had a family that wasn't so close. I hated knowing it was happening again." He exhaled sharply. "It just really sucked. And came out of the blue. And hurt my feelings."

"I'm sorry."

"Well, now we're back, so…"

"Friends?" Averey asked, hopefully.

Chest swelling with a deep sigh, Cisco bobbed is head back and forth. It wasn't where he thought things would have ended up months ago. Heck, for a while the idea of him having a girlfriend was something that was never going to happen. He barely knew how to navigate a real relationship. But, he had been successful with friendships as of late. Maybe it was the best thing as they continued to mourn. No one else would understand how hard it was to go through a life he couldn't openly talk about.

"Yeah," he agreed, and Averey let out a sigh of relief, "friends." He clapped his hands together. rushing the topic along. If there was one thing he learned from his family, it was how to quickly move on from things. "For the greater good" of course. Whatever that was. "So, I was thinking of trying to re-create circumstances around your new abilities."

"Cisco, you can make a lot of things sound fun, but throwing myself at the ground isn't one of them," Averey said.

"No, yeah, I know," Cisco replied. "Baby steps." He gave a bright smile. "You'll be throwing yourself onto mats on the floor." Averey smirked. "First, though, just to give Caitlin something to work with, I figured we could start you off on the treadmill or something. Just to get the blood pumping." He motioned towards the room housing the Cosmic Treadmill. "It may have been modified for Barry, but still will act normally for you."

"Cool. I'll change and be right back."

"I'll be here." Cisco started walking backwards towards the medical bay. "Welcome back, by the way." Averey threw him a smile over her shoulder. Cisco gathered a clipboard, medical data sheets, and a pen from Caitlin's belongings before heading into the observation room overlooking the Cosmic Treadmill.

For the next ten minutes, Cisco watched the data pulled up on the screens in front of him, writing down as fast as he could on the papers. Averey started out at a jog and quickly fell into a faster pace. Faster than he expected. Speaking into the microphone, his voice was pumped into the training area, and he coaxed her to stop.

"What's up?" Averey asked, hands to her knees, peering at him through the window.

"I just have a question." Cisco looked over his handwriting. There was no way he was seeing what he was seeing.

"What's that?"

"How hard did you work out while on house arrest?"

"Daniel had kept me in shape." Averey replied, chest slowly lifting and falling. As if she had just been on a leisurely stroll. Her red face, and the sweat beads of sweat starting to side down the side of her face said otherwise. "Why?"

"Because you were just running at 12 miles per hour," Cisco replied, "and making it look damn easy."

* * *

 **Somewhere on Earth-2**

Soft crying pulled Eddie from his deep sleep. Followed by rhythmic knocking.

The back of his neck ached, his chin had been pressed to his chest for so long. Pressing his fingertips into the muscle, he slowly unfolded himself from the ball form he had found himself asleep in. "Ah," he groaned, slowly stretching his legs out in front of him. "Ow, ow, ow."

The knocking grew faster, louder.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," Eddie said with a yawn. Rolling his head on his neck, he grit his teeth at the tightness of his muscles. Glancing over at the masked man out of the corner of his eye, he watched as the withered hand slowly uncurled from a fist. He extended a finger into a point. "What?"

The man shook his finger, tapping his nail against the glass.

Eddie slowly turned his head, groaning as he did so. He only stopped until his eyes landed on the form of a young woman. Dirty. Dress ripped. Abrasions on her arms and legs. Her shoulders shook as she cried, head buried in her arms.

"Hey." Eddie's voice barely came out as a whisper. He swallowed repeatedly. His throat burned. Holding open his jaw, Eddie watched the young woman, waiting for there to be enough saliva for to collect in his mouth to ease his next swallow. He cleared his throat. "Hey."

The girl slowly lifted her head. Through her dust filled hair, she locked eyes with Eddie.

"Are you ok?"

She shook her head. "I want my dad," she said, voice barely above a whisper. "I don't understand what happened. I was just at school." She lifted her head even further. "I was just at school. I got into a huge fight with my dad."

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down," Eddie said soothingly. "Whatever it was you said, I'm sure he knows you didn't mean it." The girl looked doubtful. "What's your name?"

"Jesse."

"Are you ok, Jesse?"

"I think so." The woman slowly pushed herself up into a seated position. She brushed her hands down the hem of her dress. "Where are we?"

"I—I don't know," Eddie admitted. "But, everything is going to be ok. Ok?"

"How can you say that?" Jesse asked with a scoff. "We're stuck in these _boxes_ in god knows where, by god knows who, for god knows what!" Jesse slapped her palm to the see-through wall. "I've got to get out of here. I want my dad." She started shouting. "Where's my dad? Please, let me out."

"Jesse," Eddie said loudly. Pulling his knees to his chest, he rocked forward onto the balls of his feet, and slowly stood. "What happened? How did you get here?"

"I don't know," Jesse said, sniffing. "One minute, I was at school. Then the wall exploded, and Zoom was there and—" She shuddered. "He just grabbed me." With eyed, tear filled eyes, she looked around their surroundings. Her eyes briefly landed on the man who had stopped knocking. "Hey, um…"

"Eddie."

"Eddie." Jesse slowly nodded. "How—How long have you been here?"

Eddie shuffled towards the wall of his own glass box. He attempted to shake out the pins and needles feeling in his legs with each step. He looked the girl over. She seemed to be calming down as each second passed. Still, he hadn't fully awakened, and he didn't know how she would handle the news.

"Honestly," he said, coming up to the wall. "I don't know." Jesse gasped. "But, I promise, we'll make it out of here. Ok?"

Jesse's eyes went back to the masked man. "Ok," she whispered.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

So so sorry for the wait with this chapter – so many ideas for this chapter, I had shifted around where I was going to have them appear. I also kept going back and forth on whether or not they'd appear in this chapter at all. Shadow Thief makes a return in the next chapter, and Team Flash really hits the ground running. Jay and Malcolm also return next and will be around more moving forward.

I loved writing not only Henry and Joe at the start of this chapter, talking through their respective parental problems, but also Barry in confronting Wells one last time.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Something you didn't understand and need further explanation on? Overall thoughts? Please leave a review. I appreciate every piece of feedback to help my writing.

-Rhuben

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 _Ethan:_ There's a reason why Averey hasn't touched her photography, and part of that was kiiinda touched upon in this chapter. It'll be brought up more in the story as it goes on. I can see what you're saying about Barry potentially being sent to live with Averey, but I see it as keeping him in an environment he's used to and comfortable with, and that would be with the West family – as is evident with Henry and Joe's friendship in the opening scene.


	14. When Day Turns in to Night

**Chapter Fourteen:** When Day Turns in to Night

* * *

 **Somewhere in Central City**

Malcolm would have rammed his flaming sword into Jay's throat if he could. Jay would only use his insane healing capabilities to heal himself. Still, as he landed on the other side of the passage back onto Earth-1, he itched to conjure it.

"You weren't supposed to do that." Malcolm spoke in a low tone, almost calm. His frantic pacing, on the other hand, showed his agitation. Little bursts of blue flames trailed behind him before they were snuffed by the wind of his next quick step. "Wells's daughter was our contingency plan."

Jay, perched on the closed lid of a dumpster, waved a hand in Malcom's direction. "Contingency."

Malcolm's ears perked up. He froze. He smirked. Him, a contingency. _Oh, he has no idea how true that was, exactly._ The thought alone brought a smile to his face. Still, he had to keep up appearances. As long as Jay kept him close, both of them would get what they ultimately wanted. His smirk dropped, replaced with a twisting frown the second he whirled around.

He burst across the space and grabbed Jay's shirt collar, slamming him against the brick wall. The depths of Jay's eyes reflected the flames that had propelled Malcolm forward. A brilliant blue. Much like the lightning that crackled and burnt the ozone around him whenever he traversed Earth-2, looking for meta-humans that had not joined them. Lightning did burn brighter than fire, yet it only struck in one place at a time. It was the flames that smoldered, and spread, and could truly take down cities.

How funny that Malcolm would be striking like lightning, and Jay's law would spread like a wildfire.

"You dare call me a contingency?" Malcolm asked between clenched teeth.

Jay reached up and grabbed Malcolm's wrists in a tight grip. "You have not been following my orders," he replied, forcing Malcom's hands from his shirt collar. He heard a pop as the seams of his shirt ripped. "You have not been doing what you can to take Barry Allen's speed."

"By integrating myself into the group—"

Malcolm's feet lifted from the ground, and a moment later, he was thrown onto his back. Jay, eyes glittering black coals, stood over him. "All I need," he said, stretching out his words, "is the Flashs's speed. If you will not give it to me, I will find someone else who will." Jay lifted his eyebrows, watching Malcolm push himself up to his elbows. "You do not agree with my methods?"

Ye—No. No, of course he agreed. How could he not? General Eiling was an important cog in his own wheel. Malcolm shook his head back and forth, knocking out the defiance that just barely started to seep into his brain. It almost opened his mouth and tumbled out words that were foreign to him. _Where had that come from?_

They had a goal, and they would reach that goal no matter who or what got in their way. Casualties were a formality. It was part of war. And that's what this would come down to: one side versus the other. Sooner or later, everyone had to choose.

"I am on your side," Malcolm reassured Jay. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. Not once did he break Jay's eye contact. "Whatever you need, whatever you command, I will do. You need the Flash's speed. I will get it for you."

"I've given you your chance," Jay reminded him, "and you've only shown up once. Why do you defy Zoom?"

Malcolm pulled himself to his feet. "I do not defy you," he replied. "You not only want the Flash's speed, but you wish to have him killed. I cannot do my part, if we do not have someone who can succeed in killing him." He stepped closer to Jay. "If you wish to do everything on your own, be my guest." A muscle in Jay's jaw twitched. "Just remember who helped you take over the other worlds."

"Yes, you have been invaluable to me," Jay agreed, taking a step back from Malcolm. "I command your respect!" Malcolm watched as Jay's eyes slowly returned to normal. "But, even the most priceless jewels can wear down over time." His nostrils flared. His face hardened. "Wells would not take responsibility for his actions. Maybe now he will." A wild look appeared in his eyes. He clenched his teeth. "No one thinks of the kids. No one apologizes. Parents don't understand how _impressionable they are_."

"Believe me," Malcolm said, eyes shifting downwards to take in the tight clenching of Jay's fists, "I know what you mean." To have parents that acted like you were insignificant, disposable, and a waste of space was deplorable. And then to turn around and act like the most loving people in the world? Like they weren't going to push him aside the second their precious golden-child stepped into the room? The public life of a public figure was one well crafted, he had come to learn. " _Exactly_ what you mean." He licked is lips. "I think it's time I meet dear old mom and dad."

"Integrate yourself into their lives," Jay whispered. He slowly uncurled his fists, fingers twitching as if electrical pulses were causing the almost involuntary movement. "Their perfect little lives." He swung around to face Malcolm. "Do what you need to do."

"Understood," Malcolm said with a nod. "What are you going to do?"

For a moment, Malcolm wasn't sure if Jay was even going to answer him. His body was so tense, he was sure Jay would have taken off at a sprint instead of responding to his question. Slowly, Jay relaxed before Malcolm's eyes. Then, he said simply, "Observe."

Jay rubbed his chin. "I want to see what they can accomplish on their own. It'll be so much more exhilarating this way." He parted his lips with a smile. "After all, I can't go home until they figure out how to stabilize the breach in S.T.A.R. Labs – may as well push them in the right direction. After that? Unless they need to run more tests, until they ask for help, I will make myself scarce and things will go back to normal for them." His smile widened. The wild look in his eyes was now gone. "Including your presence in Central City, Eddie Thawne."

Malcolm wasn't sure which was the more terrifying image for anyone that crossed his path; the dark blackness of his eyes, taking on a normal persona, or both. He loved it all.

..

The Central City Country Club was the last place Malcolm ever thought he would find himself. Yet, here he was, standing in the conference room being pulled into his mother, Josephine Thawne's, chest in a tight hug. The immense pressure put on his body every time he jumped through breaches didn't compare to how he was being held.

It would have been comforting, if a ball of anger and hatred hadn't been boiling and in his stomach.

He tried to keep his face as neutral as possible. After all, she thought he was the son she had lost.

"That's the Thawne spirit," Nathaniel had said with a hearty thump to his back upon his wife's release of their son – to furiously wipe at her damp cheeks, sniffing repeatedly. Malcolm grabbed onto the edge of the table he collided with. His muscles bulged, straining to be used to punch Nathaniel across the chest. An eye for an eye and all that. He resisted the strong urge. "Looks like I gave this to you in good time, huh, son?" He reached for the cord around Malcolm's neck, lifting the piece of jewelry out from under the collar of his shirt.

"Seems like it," Malcolm replied.

Nathaniel's eyebrows creased in worry. "You ok, son?" Releasing the amulet, he grabbed Malcolm's shoulders. "What happened to you?"

"Uh, yeah," Malcom replied, "I'm ok."

"Oh, and Iris." Josephine rushed to give Iris just a tight a hug. Standing apart from the group, she watched the family reuniting with a hint of a smile on her face. "Iris, I can't imagine what this has all been like for you. Nate and I have been so worried about your well-being." She cupped Iris's face in her hands. "You sounded so different on the phone. Who would have imagined it was something like this."

"I know this is a shock for the two of you," Iris said, accepting Josephine's second hug. "There was just no easy way to break the news." She laughed a nervous laugh. "I couldn't believe it myself."

"Of course, sweetie, of course," Josephine replied, nodding rapidly. "No one could ever expect something like this could happen. I mean, after what happened with that professor we had hope. It's why we chose not to have a formal funeral, but…" She sighed, shoulders dropping. She grasped Iris's hands, gently squeezing them. "Sooner or later, you have to face the truth, right?"

"That's true." Iris slowly nodded. "Are you sure you all want to do this?" She turned her head to speak direction to Malcolm. "We can stop whenever you want."

Malcolm bit back an exasperated sigh. She had asked the same question and supplied the same reassurances ever since he picked her up that morning. Between the silence and the annoying tension radiating from her, he was ready to put as much distance between them as he could. At the same time, he found himself, strangely, wanting to be just as close to her. Whatever perfume she was wearing had filled the car, and he had found himself trying to hold on to each deep breath for as long as he could.

He couldn't wait to get out of the car upon arrival.

"I'm sure."

Iris started digging through her purse. "Eddie—"

"I can't keep hiding for the rest of my life," Malcolm said, cutting over her. "Sooner or later I have to go back to work. I _want_ to go back to work. And if this helps to keep as much attention off of the Allens as possible…" He crossed his arms over his chest. "I just want to help. Barry's done a lot for you while I've been gone. And he's done so for as long as you two have known each other. It's the least I could do for him."

"Well," Iris retrieved a recorder from her purse, "I guess we should get started, then."

Malcolm grabbed her elbow when she walked past him towards the large table in the middle of the room. "Are _you_ sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"Being a journalist isn't easy," Iris said, sighing through her nose. "You have to She stared down at the recorder in her hand. "But, I know I can convince Mr. Larkin to lead with this story. Why keep chasing after people who won't talk, when I can give him someone who will?" She looked him in the eye. "I've seen you go out on calls determined to do everything you could to protect the city. When Barry was in a coma, I watched you prove to my dad you had his back when you took on as many shifts as possible so he could go to the hospital."

Malcolm strained the muscles in his face, trying to keep it as neutral as possible. All this mushy stuff, it made him want to puke. None of them really believed in any of this. It wasn't possible. It had to be a joke. This was all just one joke.

"Like you, I fight to prove myself to my co-workers, every day, that I'm the right person for this job. That Mr. Larkin was right to extend an offer to me to work the job," Iris explained. "I'm more than a blogger. More than someone who writes about meta-human encounters." Malcolm tightened his face muscles even more. "I can cover all kind of stories."

"I can write a story like this without bias. I understand that this is a conflict of interest. A big one. But, it's still a story worth telling. One I know Mr. Larkin won't want to pass up. And if asked, I'm prepared to hand over all my materials to whomever else could be assigned to this story. I'm willing to risk all of that just as long as Mr. Larkin backs off on, or stops, trying to get pictures of quotes from the Allens. Or me, for that matter. And, he has to look at Averey's pictures, too."

Malcolm removed his gaze from Iris – trying to erase the feeling of admiration that rose in the wake of her speech – and over to Averey. Thumb twitching, she scrolled through the pictures displayed on the back of her camera. Ever since she had arrived at the Country Club, she had given the command to pretend like she wasn't there. She preceded to capture the reunion on not only the camera hanging around her neck. The snap of the camera shutter had filled in the short silences.

"Thanks for that, by the way," she said, briefly looking up from her camera. "Didn't think you'd call in that favor I owe you so soon. But, I wanted to talk to them, anyway."

"About what?" Malcolm asked.

"Their involvement with the meta-human wing being built at Iron Heights," Averey replied. She eyed the recorder in Iris's hand. "Off the record, of course."

"Oh, yes, Averey," Josephine said, "I'm so sorry we haven't been able to arrange a time to speak. I'm glad we're getting the opportunity to, now." She put a hand to her chest. "And, if you would please accept it, I did bring along Eddie's birthday gift for you." She smiled. "Given the circumstances, I thought you might change your mind."

"Yeah," Averey said with a hint of a smile, "no problems. Cheers. That was very nice of you." She lifted a finger into the air. "I actually have something for you, too." She crossed the room to her messenger bag that laid against the windowsill. "It was from before." Malcolm watched as she retrieved a folder from her bag. "Here you go."

Josephine took the folder and flipped it open. "Oh, my baby." She turned the folder around and showed them all a picture of Eddie in mid-laugh on the West couch.

"That was from Barry's birthday," Iris said with a fond smile.

Malcolm stared at the 2D image of Eddie's smiling face. He blinked. Would he have been that happy here if he had gotten the chance?

"Please, everyone, have a seat," Nathaniel said. He placed one hand on the small of his wife's back, using the other to indicate for everyone to join him. Malcolm grasped the back of the chair nearest to Iris and pulled it out for her. "We've had many people asking us about our financial donations to the Institute for Metahuman Research, as well. I suppose you'll want to know why we've made the decision to aid in the funding of Mercury Labs' projects?" Malcolm perked up at the mention.

"Yes, sir," Averey replied. She moved to stand at the head of the table.

"Everyone has been curious," Nathaniel said with a bark of laughter. He lowered his large frame into the cushy swivel chair. It creaked under his weight. "Of course, Eddie was a main diving force." He pushed is hands down the front of his shirt before gripping the quarters of his jacket, tugging it downwards. "You see, we've been worried about Eddie since he was transferred to Central City."

"The night of the accelerator accident, we knew he was working around the area," Josephine said, giving Malcolm a smile – a short one as she looked like she was going to start crying. "And we knew when the black hole opened up in downtown Central City he would be one of the first to head down there. We were fearful, but both times we were told to just wait until we got word that he was ok. Only this last time, we heard he wasn't. Clearly—sorry." She loudly sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with the heel of her palm.

"It's ok." Nathaniel patted her hand reassuringly. "Eddie's ok. He's right here. We've got our son back." Malcolm settled back in his chair, watching his dad kiss his mom on the temple. "It's ok."

"Clearly, that last time didn't turn out to be true," Josephine said with a nervous laugh. "He's alive. But, Nate and I, we couldn't look past that he was involved with metahumans. Ever since that accelerator went up, and Dr. Wells had admitted he knew that it was faulty. Metahumans had to be the reason for what happened downtown. It had taken our son away from us."

"We just don't want anyone else to get hurt," Nathaniel added. "The CCPD is doing the best they can with the Task Force, and of course, you have the Flash." He cleared his throat. "If there's a way to fully understand what has happened, to help the public understand what exactly occurred with S.T.A.R. Labs, it's to become knowledgeable in every aspect of the metahumans."

"Why not use S.T.A.R. Labs, though?" Iris asked. "They created the metas. Inadvertently."

"Because they created the metas," Nathaniel replied. Releasing his wife's hand, he jabbed his big index finger into the table. "They created them, and they let them loose on all of us. One of them took on Eddie's identity and got him arrested for it. What have they done to fix it, huh? They're out of business."

"They gave you the Flash," Malcolm replied. "Who knows where Central City would be without him?" He knew exactly where; decrepit. Destroyed. Under the rule of zoom. Take their pick, it would all happen anyway. And he couldn't wait.

"Yes, son, that is true. We can't deny that," Nathaniel said. "But, who knows what else they haven't admitted to? Harrison Wells was a well-respected man and this whole time, he had been the one that murdered Barry Allen's mother." He slapped the table with his palm. "Then he just disappeared. Who knows what else will come out of S.T.A.R. Labs down the line. Something we should have known about ages ago."

"Mate, they're good people that work there," Averey said. She put a hand to her chest. "You've met them. I understand your concerns, but they've been doing nothing but trying to make things right. They're the last people that want Central City to fall into a trough, yeah?"

"Mercury Labs was our best bet," Josephine said quietly. Apologetically. "I understand that you have become great friends with those at S.T.A.R. Labs, but Mercury Labs is still publicly recognized, and accepted. They're really pushing forward to help Central City in the wake of all of this."

"Spoken like a true ex-Senator's wife," Malcolm commented, his upper lip curling. "It's all about your perfect image, aligning yourself with the best outcome."

"Eddie!" Iris placed a hand on his knee, squeezing it slightly to admonish him. A second later, she pulled it away. Her hand hovered above his knee before she slowly placed her hand back in her lap. He, on the other hand, could still feel the heat of her hand on his knees. Malcolm started swaying his leg back and forth, trying to cool the spot and remove the lingering touch.

Averey frowned but didn't say anything. Malcolm's eyes shifted over to her when she lifted her wrist and started to mess with the monitor strapped to her wrist. She shifted it back and forth. When his father started speaking again, he pulled his attention away from her.

"It's not unusual for organizations like this to look for outside funding," Nathaniel said, seeming to square up in his chair. "The Rathaways had agreed to partially fund Mercury Labs's prospects as well. The rest, I suppose, came from grants."

"You mean like _Hartley_ Rathaway?" Averey asked. "Son of Rachel and Osgood Rathaway? _Those_ Rathaways?" Her eyes narrowed. "They threw him out when they found out he was gay." She talked quietly, more to herself than to the Thawnes.

"Yes, I know," Josephine said. "But, I can't say I'm surprised they stepped forward to help with this after what he had done last year." She slowly shook her head from side to side before she looked Malcolm in the eye. "I'm sure they're doing everything they can to help their son. We believe this was the way to help ours."

Malcolm held back a scoff. After all, the Eddie Thawne they knew was dead. And the Malcolm Thawne they didn't barely had the chance to exist on this Earth.

"Thanks," Averey said, slowly nodding. Her eyes were focused no the table, pensive. "Thanks, um, that really helps." A smile came to her face. "I appreciate it."

"Happy to help," Nathaniel declared, rapping his knuckles on the table.

"Of course, honey," Josephine said. She placed her hand over top of Averey's and gave it a gentle squeeze. "If there's anything else you need, just let us know."

"Ok, why don't we all take a few minutes to collect ourselves, and we can get started," Iris suggested. Reaching for her purse, she retrieved a pen and a worn notepad. Flipping through crinkled, and folded pages filled with her cursive handwriting, she came to a clean page. "Everyone ready?" Iris asked. She switched on the recorder. "Here we go."

* * *

Barry settled back in his chair in his lab, wondering how he ever survived in a world that moved so slowly. He could only breeze through so many books and reports as he waited for evidence to process for so long. He started to spin around in his chair.

His gaze bounced from the shelves of case files; to the boxes of chemicals; a stash of boxed latex gloves; to a locked food cage filled with boxes of Cisco modified power bars and sheets of Big Belly Burger promotional coupons; past the windows overlooking the city; across the case board of his mom's murder, now covered by a city map, and around the before they landed on his dad who stood in the doorway of his lab.

Henry chuckled when Barry dug his toes into the concrete floor, reaching out to grab onto the table. He laughed even harder when, in an attempt to stand, Barry's world shifted to a slant and he stumbled to the side. "Careful there, Slugger," he said, crossing the room to his son. He grabbed onto Barry's shoulders. "When you were a kid, you always asked your mom and I to spin you on the swings. You always enjoyed it. Even when you threw up afterwards."

Barry put a hand to his head. "Mom always treated me to ice cream after," he said with a grin.

"Ah." When Barry started laughing, Henry shook his head before pulling his son to him in a hug. "You've always been intelligent."

"What are you doing here?" Barry asked. He took a step back and got a good look at his dad. He was actually here at the CCPD. Standing in his lab.

"I had to come see where my son works, right?" Henry asked. "See where he spent all his time trying to prove my innocence." He slowly spun in a circle, whistling in admiration. "And it's not too shabby."

"Yeah, well," Barry scratched the back of his head and sighed, "I had the option of moving after the lightning strike, but, I didn't want to." He dropped his arm and shrugged. "I like it up here." He pointed towards the chains hanging from the ceiling. "I'm the only one who has a sky light I can open and close whenever I want."

Henry's smile of amusement faded. He walked over to the chains and grasped it in his hands, looking upwards towards the closed ceiling. "So this is where it happened?" Barry watched as his dad's gaze angled towards the floor, directly at the black stain Barry had tried in vain to clear up from the floor. Parting his lips, Henry let out a low whistle.

"Yeah, um, everyone else in forensics," Barry cleared his throat, "they had moved to the newer built labs downstairs. If there's anything more extensive than what I can do up here, I'll go down there." He crossed his arms over his chest. "It's close to evidence lock up, so it's not a far walk for them."

"Which you could cover in half a second," Henry commented, pulling his attention from the floor. "If that."

"Yeah. Something like that."

"Who was—who found you that night?"

"I don't know, actually," Barry replied. "I never asked. I just know when got back that Captain Singh had this room sealed off. After they were done cleaning up all of the chemicals, making sure the place was safe, they ended up using it as storage." He pointed upwards. "The wood swells in the heat, making it stuffy in here if you can't get it open, and if it rains incredibly hard it leaks. Otherwise it's ok."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to see this all happen for you," Henry commented, shoving his hands deep into his coat pockets. "Graduating high school, university – in three years no less, your first day here, your first day back. Letters and pictures weren't enough. I kept them all."

"So did I," Barry replied. He glanced sideways at the city map. "In fact…" He lifted a finger in response to Henry's inquisitive glance. "I have one here." Checking the doorway, he made sure no one was coming before he grabbed the bottom of the map and lifted it, allowing the roller to pull the map into position, revealing Barry's case board beneath it. He tapped a piece of wrinkled and folded notebook paper, filled with Henry's quick, slanted handwriting. "I have some of them here."

Henry hummed, stepping closer to the case board. A hand lifted to cover his mouth. Starting at the far-left side of the board, he slowly made his way across, lifting corners of paper that overlapped each other, squinting at rushed writing on post-it notes, and tracing the red string that pinned it all together. Briefly, he looked over the letters he had written and sent out.

"I never did learn how to paint," Henry said after a stretch of silence. He tapped his finger against a letter. "I know I said I would. They had classes, but I spent most of my time reading. Not a big library selection, but there was still something to hold my attention."

"I can top you." Barry offered him a smile.

"Oh, yeah?" Henry's eyebrows lifted.

"I never got my PHD," Barry said. He remembered receiving the letter from his dad in his school mailbox after he had officially declared his minor in criminology. Matched with his major in organic chemistry, it did sound like an odd combination, but Henry sounded upbeat about it in his letter – asking as many questions about it as he could. "I joined the CCPD as soon as I possibly could. With Joe's help, of course."

Henry twisted his mouth to the side. "I knew you were trying to prove my innocence, Barry." He used his hand to indicate the board. "But, I wasn't expecting all of this." Barry stayed silent. "Thank you. You've done so much for me and your mother."

"Dad…" Barry lifted his hands before dropping them down to his sides again.

"And I suppose I have you to thank for the article running on a once thought-to-be-dead Eddie Thawne that will run in the paper tomorrow?" Henry asked. "Or I should thank the Flash for getting attention off of us for a while." Barry pressed his lips together. "I certainly have missed a lot, haven't I?"

"You don't know the half of it," Barry commented, running a hand over his face. "And, you can't blame me for that. That was all Eddie's idea."

"Glad to hear another family is back together." Henry swallowed thickly. "Um, anyway," he said, "I came over here tonight to tell you that, um, I'm going to stay. In Central City." Barry's eyes popped open. He opened and closed his mouth, his expulsions of air broken up with weak laughs of disbelief. Placing his hands on the back of his head, he paced in a circle before throwing himself into his dad's arms, squeezing him tightly. "I thought you'd be happy about that."

"It'll be great, I promise," Barry said. Sniffing, he used the sleeves of his shirt to wipe at his eyes. "We can start looking at apartments, you can't live in a hotel all the time. And Iris, she was telling me about getting your medical license reinstated." His thoughts zipped past in his mind, almost too fast for him. "I have a guest badge for S.T.A.R. Labs already assigned to you, you could help Caitlin there. It's perfect, you already know everything that's going on!"

"Barry, for once in your life," Henry said with a smile, taking his son's face into his hands, "slow down. Ok? Let's just take this one day at a time." He used his thumbs to wipe away the tears that collected in Barry's eyes. "I am going to nip off to my dad's cabin in the mountains from time to time. I just want you to know for sure that I am here. Ok? And you'll always have me." His lips twitched. "You _and_ Averey."

"Yeah—yeah of course, no, yeah, I know." Barry nodded rapidly. He swallowed thickly, exhaling through his nose. "I'm just – a lot's going through my head right now, that's all."

"I know." Henry smiled. "Me too."

"Hey, Barry." Barry turned towards Patty as she strode into the room, head bent over a stack of papers in her hands. Rushing forward, he pulled the map of Central City down over his case board. Planting a hand on his hip, pressing his elbow into the cork beneath the map, Barry attempted a nonchalant pose. "I just had a few questions about the evidence you collected from your last run-in with—oh." Patty stopped short, looking back and forth between Barry and Henry. "Hi. I didn't mean to interrupt, it's just, uh, Barry, I can't really read your handwriting. I'll come back later."

"No, no, no, it's fine," Barry said with a reassuring smile. "Whoa." He grabbed a hold of the board as it slowly started rolling away from him. Once it was steady, he took quip steps towards her, and then stopped, looking over at Henry. His eyes widened slightly. "This is my dad."

"Your…your dad!" Patty turned to face Henry and grasped his hand, shaking it vigorously. "Your dad. Hi. Of course it's your dad. You two look so much alike. Hi, Mr. Allen it's great to meet you." Inhaling sharply through her nose, her eyes flew open. "Great to see you out of Iron Heights. Sorry, I guess you don't want to be reminded of that." Still shaking his hand, Patty gave an embarrassed smile. "I'm going to stop shaking your hand, now. Congratulations. On your release. Yeah."

"It's ok," Henry replied. "You're…?" He let the question hang in the air.

"This is Patty Spivot," Barry introduced, "Joe's new partner and she's part of the Anti-Metahuman Task Force."

"Nice to meet you," Henry greeted her. He rocked backwards and forward on the balls of his feet, a hint of a smile on his face.

"And, sorry about my handwriting," Barry said, turning back to Patty. "I know it's really hard to decipher. I kind of write fast. And think fast."

"Yeah, well, from what I hear, you do a lot of things fast," Patty said with a shrug. Barry made an odd croaking sound, eyebrows pulling towards each other. Her smile froze on her face. "I just heard how that sounded. I apologize." She hid her face behind the papers in her hands before she let out a breath of air. "Let's start over. I just wanted to look over your notes again, ask what had occurred. You know, because initial witness accounts aren't always that accurate."

"Yes, that's true," Barry said. Only his account of events would be exactly the same. He may be able to move quickly, but that just means everything else moves slower. Every bit and piece of information available to him, he could gather at a moment's notice. With Averey's abilities, there was no way she would ever give incorrect information, either. "And I would be happy to answer any of your questions. But, uh—I'm readily available while working here with you. So, you should start with Kendra Saunders."

"That is a good point," Patty said. She reached into her pocket for her phone and glanced at the display. "I hope it's not too late to make a house call." She swung her hair back out of her face. "Are you going to be here the rest of the night? Or, when do you get in tomorrow morning? You usually come in the mornings with Joe, right, so I guess I could just ask him." She grinned sheepishly. "But, that would be kind of weird, right?"

"Oh. Um, well, I'll be here first thing in the morning," Barry said with a shrug, "so…I'll just see you here."

"Cool, yeah," Patty said. She started walking backwards. "Of course I will." She stopped, and reached for her pocket, retrieving a small notepad. Tucking the stack of papers under her elbow, she retrieved a pen from the lapel pocket of her jacket and quickly wrote on the paper. "My number. You know, just so you can let me know when you arrive. And, it'll be easier then having to walk up and down all those stairs."

"True," Barry commented, taking the paper from her. He could feel Henry staring at him and did his best not to look in his dad's direction. "But, you do need to get some exercise in during the day. Not that you're not in shape." He loudly cleared his throat. "Thanks for this. I'll program it in right away."

"Cool. See ya." Patty turned around to leave, stopping short when she nearly collided with Averey. "Oh! I'm so sorry."

"No worries, mate," Averey said. "I didn't see you." Locking eyes with Barry, she side-stepped Patty, sharing a smile of amusement with him.

"Patty, this is Averey," Barry said, folding the paper in his hands, tucking it into his shirt pocket. "She's my friendsssster." He cringed when the word came out of his mouth, trying to figure out which word was best to use. It was still a foreign word on his tongue. "My um—"

"Sister," Averey said. She adjusted the strap to the backpack that hung off one shoulder. "Half-sister anyway, mate, if it makes it easier to say." She gave Barry a teasing smile and offered Patty her hand. "Hey, how ya going?"

"It's nice to meet you," Patty said. She gasped when, due to her handshaking, case files slipped out from under her arm. Tucking her hair back behind her ears, she quickly gathered up the papers. " _Both_ of you. Barry's family." Pushing air out of her nose, she gave a close-lipped smile and stood up, facing Barry. "I just gave you my number in front of your dad," Patty said, "and your sister. Gosh, I'm meeting your whole family today." She put a hand to her red cheeks. "Wow. Wow. So, um, I'll just go. Now. Bye."

"Bye." Patty hurried out with quick steps. It almost looked like she wanted to break into a run as she rounded the corner. Barry made a clicking sound with his tongue, looking back and forth between Henry and Averey who were giving him knowing smiles. In that moment, Barry saw a striking, and annoying, similarity between the two of them. "What?"

"So, that was Patty," Henry said. Averey snickered.

"Yeah, she's new here, works with Joe," Barry shrugged his shoulders. "It'll make things easier if I'm courteous."

"Oh, is that what you call it?" Averey asked with a smirk. Barry rolled his eyes and Henry started to laugh.

"Why are you here, again?" Barry asked. "And what is that?" He pointed to her bag.

"Right." Averey planted her hands on her hips. "Well, this is a new camera bag. Eddie had apparently gotten it for me for my birthday. The Thawnes just gave it to me." She cleared her throat. "If you still wanted to take a trip to Keystone, tonight's the night." Barry stared at her for a moment before it clicked.

"Oh, yeah." He looked around the room. "I'll just let Captain Singh know I'll finish this up tomorrow – quickly – and then we can head out."

"What are you two up to tonight?" Henry asked.

Barry stared at Averey, willing her to come up with an answer. Averey on the other hand, clapped her hands in front of her, and then swung her hands back behind her, clapping her hands again. "Nothing," she said with as innocent of a smile a she could muster.

Henry chuckled, bowing his head for a moment. "I know I haven't been around much," he said, looking Averey in the eye, "but I can still pinpoint the 'I'm trying to be innocent' look you've got going on." Even Barry could see through it. But there was only so many things Barry could introduce to Henry at one time. Street racing was definitely not one of those things. "Barry has attempted to perfect it over the years."

"Let's just say, I'm showing Barry some of the nightlife across the bridge, hey," Averey said.

Henry lifted his hands defensively. "Just as long as get home by curfew," he said.

Averey's lips pursed, giving way to a smile. "Spoken like a parent," she said. "No worries, I'll be back home in time." She was silent for a moment before adding, almost shyly, "You can even check in if you want."

"Sure," Henry said, "I'd be happy to." He held his hands out towards his kids. "In fact, I want to invite you two over to the hotel for dinner soon, like a family dinner."

"Wait." Averey looked like she didn't know whether or not she was allowed to smile. The corners of her lips would lift for a brief second before being pulled downwards. Over and over. "Are you staying?"

"Yes, I am," he said. Averey did an odd combination of a fist-pump and running in place. Henry burst out laughing, the sound filling even the highest reaches of Barry's lab, before he pulled her, and him to his chest in a hug. "I'm staying." Barry felt Henry's hand place on the back of his head, smoothing down his hair. "Now go on, get out of here. I know you don't want to spend your whole night with your old man."

"At least let us walk you out," Barry offered, moving to his chair to get his coat. "Ave, you can leave that here if you'd like. I have some lockers over there." Averey located the storage unit and crossed the room to put her bags up.

"Joe's still downstairs, he can give me a ride back," Henry said, waving his hand in the air. "Don't worry about me. Have a great night." He made his way across the room to the windows. "I'm just going to stay here for a minute."

"I'll call you later," Barry promised, sliding his arms into the sleeves of his coat. "I promise."

"I know," Henry said to the windows. Barry saw his smile reflected in the windows. "I know."

"Come on, Barr." Averey stepped closer to Barry and grabbed his elbow. "He'll be ok. We can go."

Once they were on the ground floor and outside of the precinct, Barry took Averey's hand and sped the two of them through the streets of Central City, across the Gem City Bridge, and into Keystone. Coming to a stop on the other side, Averey managed to wheeze out directions, stumbling. Barry tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her through the streets once again before coming to a grassy rushed through the streets and to a grassy knoll overlooking a dark-lit street.

A crowd of people stood talking excitedly, beer bottles in hand. Music blasted from the sports cars they milled around. A checkered finish line was drawn in chalk under a band of street lights, smeared from tire marks. The bumpers of the sports cars, and the back tires were lightly dusted in chalk dust. Finger prints were dotted the back bumpers.

"And you would come here with your friends?" Barry asked.

"We need a better way for me to hitch a ride," Averey said, gasping for air. One hand was on her knee, the other on her chest. She swallowed repeatedly, looking like she was trying not to throw up. "Between bruised ribs, and chundering, we just need to strap a side car to you, yeah?"

Barry smiled, good-humored.

"To answer your question; yes. Whenever we reckoned there was nothing better going on," Averey said, standing up. She brushed her hair back off her face. "We would come here. Free entertainment." She pointed to the trees extending high above them. "Trees add extra shadows, so if the police ever came, they wouldn't see us here. Not at first, anyway. They were too busy running after all the others down there. Oh, look."

In the distance, the sound of squealing tires grew louder and louder by the second. Headlights appeared around the corner, followed by another. Two cars sped down the street, engines roaring as they did so. Barry watched the crowd turn their attention to the cars, whistling, clapping, and cheering. Some pumped their fists, and some started jumping up and down. The two cars were neck and neck, until one pulled forward. With a loud screeching of tires, the lead car's back end swung forward, cutting off the second car, propelling itself across the chalk finish line.

"Wow," Barry whispered.

"Pretty cool, eh?" Averey asked. Eyes narrowing into a squint she tilted her head to the side. "I reckon they're chanting…taillights?"

"Taillights. Does that mean something?" Barry asked.

"Nickname for one of the drivers. You know, Dust Devil, Horse Power, V6, The Blur." She frowned, digging her finger under the strap to her monitor, scratching the skin as best she could. "He hasn't been around for a bit. Wonder what's brought him back."

"I can't believe I'm doing this. We shouldn't be here," Barry said, his eyes on her wrist monitor. "You have curfew, and this is illegal."

Averey clicked her tongue. "I'm not taking part in it, and I'll be back by curfew, don't worry." Barry stared at her. She let out a quiet sigh. "You wanted to know when Mel would be around next, now's the time. Let me worry about my P.O." The corners of her lips lifted. "It's not like you haven't been on a joyride before, right? Stealing Joe's car and everything."

"Okay, okay," Barry said. "I get it. It's not the same thing - it's nowhere near the same thing; I don't have a record - but I get it."

"I still can't believe you did that."

"I'm telling you it happened."

Averey laughed quietly. "Yeah, sure." She nudged Barry's elbow with her own. "So, you and Patty huh?"

He knew a good topic diversion when he heard it. He would come back to it, but nevertheless followed the shift. "What, no, there's no 'me and Patty'." Barry took in Averey's 'yeah right' look. "Seriously." Averey's eyebrows lifted. "What?"

"Haven't seen anyone that nervous around you since Felicity, that's all." For a moment, it looked like Averey was trying really hard to hold back her smile. Her lips parted, and a smile fully blossomed a moment later, accompanied by a laugh. "At least in this case, her shirt wasn't on fire."

Barry bowed his head. A laugh pushed past his lips. "I'll admit that wasn't my finest hour," he said. "Or minute. Or second." He peeked at Averey out of the corner of his eye, and upon meeting her gaze, the two of them started laughing. "Oh, that was so bad."

"So, what, you don't think Patty's pretty?" Averey asked when her laughter subsided. "Just from first impressions, mate, I think you two would hit it off." Barry pulled his bottom lip into his mouth. "And dad already seems to like her."

"Uh, yeah," Barry said dismissively. "She's a pretty great officer. Not everyone can be abducted by a meta and get straight back to work."

Averey rolled her eyes before they fixated to one spot. Barry blinked, leaning forward slightly to see the whites of her eyes take on a purple-like glow. Her eyelids squeezed together just slightly when her pupils dilated. "You were more relaxed when she was in the room," Averey said matter of fact. Almost robotic. She was replaying what she had previously seen at CCPD before her. "More relaxed then I've seen you since—"

Her lips twitched. Barry shifted his weight from foot to foot. She brushed the underside of her nose with her finger. "Your body was shifted to one side, like you didn't need to force yourself to hold it up, to put on a front. Your breathing was more relaxed, yet your heart was beating quickly, I reckon more from nerves of her being there, hey. You had this smile on your face; a genuine one, not tight in the corners like when you insist that you're ok. Your movements were all smooth, kind of like how naturally you run. Fluid."

"You got all that in one look?" Barry asked.

"You work for the police, Barr," Averey said, making a face of amusement. "You spot things at crime scenes, can piece evidence together that no one else can. And you're surprised that I figured all that out? People give off more signals with their body than they realize." She looked him in the eye. "You should give Patty a shot."

Barry gently kicked at the ground. "Do you think dad's going to be ok?" he asked. Averey slowly blinked, then did so repeatedly. The glow in her eyes disappeared. Shaking her head slightly, she curiously peered at him. "Yes, I'm changing the subject."

Averey nodded. "I was only in for three months," she said, "so I can't speak of the experience of 10-plus years." Barry bobbed his head back and forth, silently urging her to continue. "It's going to take him a while to readjust. If he ever fully does." Her nostrils flared when she breathed sharply through her nose. "Mate, in your line of work, I'm sure you've seen repeat offenders come through the precinct."

"That's true," Barry agreed. Henry wasn't like that. He wasn't going to be taken out of Iron Heights and thrown back into a situation that was hard to get out of, because he wasn't a criminal. He had all the support he needed with friends and family. Others didn't have that luxury.

"As long as he has support, he'll be ok." Averey looked out over the crowd for a moment. "Since you brought it up." Barry watched the side of her face, the muscles in her jaw tensed. "I can't say this for sure, but I think I know why Melanie is so worried about Iron Heights."

"Why?" Barry asked.

"I think the meta-wing at Iron Heights, this Institute they're making with Mercury Labs, the classification system, all of it," Averey said, "I think it's a front for Belle Reve, mate." Barry stared at her. "Iris and I talked with the Thawne's earlier. The Thawne's put donated a lot of money to it, so did the Rathaways." Barry did a double take in alarm. "According to Eddie, his dad has had previous entanglements with the Royal Flush Gang. And we know what happened last year with them." Barry slowly nodded. "I think they're trying to outsource Belle Reve to Central City."

"That's exactly what I was trying to tell you." Barry whipped around at the voice. Averey lifted her chin in an upwards nod to the blonde-haired woman that stepped out of the trees. The woman repeated the move. "Iron Heights is not where you want to be."

Averey tilted her head in the woman's direction. "This is Melanie Walker." Melanie looked Barry up and down. Neither of them offered a hand or word in greeting to each other. "Barry Allen of the CCPD."

"Why should I believe you, Melanie?" Barry asked. "From what Averey's told me, you've just wanted her help in releasing your brother, Trickster Jr."

"You think all they do is focus on the metas in there?" Melanie asked. Her icy blue eyes almost seemed to glow in the dark. She parted her black lipstick covered lips and said, "Everyone wants to know what makes them different from the rest of us. Experiments always need a focus group." She snorted. "You're a scientist, you should know that."

"And how do you know this?" Barry asked. He laughed sardonically. "Believing the word of Trickster Jr. isn't exactly high on my priority list. Nor from someone who makes it a living screwing people over and out of their prized possessions." Averey's lips twitched.

"And yet, you still want to keep your sister in your life," Melanie said evenly. Barry swallowed. She lifted an eyebrow and shifted her weight from foot to foot. She spread out her arms as if inviting a hug. "Here we are. Look, I'm just letting you know what's been passed around to me, lately."

"What is The Network, exactly?" Barry asked. "And why should we believe anything you have to say?"

"I don't know what The Network is," Melanie said, "I just get information handed to me. It hasn't been wrong before." She tugged on the hem of her black shirt, smoothing out the material. "Let's just say, my dad's name still has some pull. People wouldn't cross him, and they won't cross me." She sighed. "I'm tired of this kind of life. I'm tired of hurting people and being alone. If there's a way I can help take down what it is my family has been a part of for years. I'll do it."

Barry went to respond, but Averey lifted her hands between the two of them. "Ok," Averey said, "you've both said your piece. Mel's story hasn't changed from what she's told me. This could at least be something to look into, yeah?" She searched Barry's eyes. "General Eiling is still out there, he could still be chasing metas, or he could have them all at his disposal at this moment. Like I said, you have bigger things to worry about. I can handle this."

Barry breathed in and out through his nose. Before he could sort out the jumble of racing thoughts in his head, a rush of heat swept up his back, blue light flickered off the dark tree line, and screams and shrieks hit the air. Whipping around, Barry witnessed a line of blue fire flickered at the finish line. Two cars speeding towards it, slammed on their brakes, colliding as they tried to avoid running directly into the fire, or spectators fleeing in terror.

"What the—?" Averey asked, one arm over her face, shielding her eyes from the bright light. "We need to get down there."

"Wait." Barry turned back towards the tree line, ready to tell Melanie to find a place to hide. But she was already gone. "Just hold on."

"Barry, no time!"

"Hold on!" Averey's groan of frustration was drowned out by the rush of wind that raced past his ears as he accelerated back towards S.T.A.R. Labs. He zipped into his suit and pushed his mannequin along the curved track it was situated on. With a mechanical rumble, Averey's Visionary suit, clothed on its own smaller mannequin, slid into view. Barry removed her suit from the mannequin, grabbed her boots, gloves, boomerangs, and veyesor from the table situated between the two mannequins. He made it back across town in seconds, throwing everything at Averey. "Here; hurry up and change."

"There has _seriously_!" Averey pulled the veyesor over her eyes, tightened the ear pieces down to pull it flush against her face. "Got to be!" She kicked off her shoes. "A faster way!" Barry turned around when she reached for the hem of her shirt, lifting it over her head. "To do this!" He felt the side of her fist hit his shoulder blade. " _Go, Barry_!"

Barry pivoted on his foot and burst down the hill, over the gates, and through the streets, scrounging up every fleeing pedestrian that pushed, shoved, and trampled over each other. Once he was done, he ran back and forth around the flames, snuffing them out.

"Ok," he said, pressing his fingers to the ear piece of his suit, "I think I've got everyone—"

"Ahhh!" Averey slammed into one of the parked cars. Glass from the passenger side doors popped out of its frame, littering the ground like glitter.

"Are you ok?" Barry grabbed Averey's elbow, hauling her to her feet.

"I think so," Averey replied. She wiped blood away from her mouth. "People were nearly run over, trying to flee in cars." Barry searched the expansive area, caching a sight of taillights disappearing into the dark. "I tried to stop them, but then— _woosh_. Blue flames." Her final words barely got out of her mouth when they were both struck by a heavy force in the sides, knocking them over. "What the hell?"

"Nice to see you again, Flash."

Barry pushed himself up on to his elbows and gazed into the dark eyes of the navy blue and white suited man he had seen once before. "You," he growled, pulling himself to his feet. "Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter," the man replied.

"Come on, we know how all of this works," Averey said, pushing herself to her feet. "You monologue, give us your evil moniker, we duke it out, and you go live in the Pipeline for the rest of your natural life."

The suited man's eyes shifted over towards her. "Nothing about this is natural," he said flatly. "It's a great night for a race, don't you think?" His chest swelled when he sucked in a breath of air. "All the horsepower in those cars. I prefer some _fire_ power." With a flourish, he brandished a sword with a flaming blade.

"I don't suppose," Averey said, the light flickering off her face, "that this is the 'Zoom' you were talking about seeing?"

"Exactly."

Barry and Averey rushed forward at the same time, Barry pulling ahead of her. He landed a few punches on the suited man before he ducked out of the way of an ocular blast that Averey shot towards his chest. With a loud cry, she ducked her head and rammed her shoulder into his stomach. The man's abdominal muscles tensed as he was pushed back across the asphalt.

The hilt of the flame sword slammed into Barry's stomach and he felt an explosion of searing pain against his chest. Averey screamed a moment later, when she was struck next, both falling to the ground.

"It burns!" Averey grabbed at her chest. She curled into a ball, pressing her face to the cool ground.

As the seconds passed, Barry's labored breathing evened out, and the pain ebbed away. He pulled himself to his feet in time for another wave of fire to be thrown at him. Back and forth, Barry and Averey ran and dodge-rolled out of the way, never getting the chance to get any closer to the metahuman.

"Try throwing lightning," Averey gasped out after a dodge. She unhooked the boomerangs from the holsters on her hips, gripping them tightly in her hands. "And watch your head. Time to test your reflexes."

"Right." Barry briefly positioned himself into a running position, finger tips pressing against the ground. The lightning built up around his body, and exploded off him, propelling him forward.

As he ran, Averey kept her gaze stuck on the suited man. One by one, she threw her boomerangs towards the metahuman, running from spot to spot to take a shot at him from different angles. The meta easily dodged each throw. And Barry would grab each boomerang, at the apex of its arc and throw it right back at him. The metahuman continued to dodge each attack but lost his focus on Barry.

Smiling to himself, Barry gathered the lightning trailing off his arms, and pushed himself into the air in a jump. Grunting in effort, he threw the lightning from his body. Slowly, it extended down his right arm, from his fingertips, electro-charging every molecule in his body. He had an idea. He aimed the lightning at the spinning boomerangs and watched the metal conduct the electricity.

"Get down," Barry commanded, skidding to a stop. Averey dropped to the concrete, covering her head with her arms. The lightning sped off the spinning boomerangs, surrounding the metahuman. The sharp blades cut across his arms and legs as they sailed past. Spinning once more, Barry threw stored lightning from his left, striking the metahuman in the back, knocking him off his feet. "Gotcha!"

He moved to run after the fallen metahuman but found himself stuck. "What?" Looking around wildly, he spotted spotted a snake-like shadow looping around his leg. Barry groaned in pain when it tugged at his leg, pulling at the ball-and-socket joint of his knee. Slowly, he was pulled down into the shadow beneath him. Another band reached up and wrapped around his arm, pulling his torso in the opposite direction. "Visionary."

"I can't move," Averey replied. Barry looked over at her. The same shadowy wisps were wrapped around her knees, waist, and the back of her neck, pulling her into the concrete. "Something's wrong."

The navy suited metahuman got to his feet. He turned his head, glaring in Barry's direction before he rushed off in a burst of flames. "No!" Barry shouted after him, his voice echoing across the otherwise still night. Barry tensed his muscles, straining to chase after him, but the shadows wrapped even tighter around him. It bent him back, his spine arching as he was pulled closer towards the ground. "Where is Chay-Ara?" The harsh voice whispered in his ear, sent shivers down his spine. More so than the cold that gripped his fingers when Barry tried to rip the shadows away from him.

"I don't know who you're talking about," Barry said. He gasped when Kendra's driver's license was pulled in front of his face, held up by a single band of shadows. "Stay away from her."

"No, no, no," the voice whispered. The bands tightened, almost like a hand. Squeezing tightly. Tighter. Barry heard Averey groan from his left. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her slowly turned her head in his direction, the streetlights bouncing off the sleek curvature of her veyesor. "You don't understand. I have to find her and bring her to my master. She promised I would get what I want. A car here, a bank robbery there, and no one would be of the wiser as to what we really need. You're just in the way. And she doesn't want to deal with you."

"She?" Barry repeated. His head was jerked in the direction of the remaining cars, cracking audibly. A female figure crossed the street, stepping closer and closer to them. "Who is that?"

"My partner in crime."

"Oh, you did not just seriously say that, mate." Movement out of the corner of his eye, pulled Barry's attention to Averey. A projection of purple light shot out from the veyesor, and across the space between them, illuminating the darkness. The bands of shadow slithered away from Barry's body, freeing him. A scream of frustration sounded by Barry's ear and he whirled around to face Shadow Thief as he lifted up from the ground, face contorted. A second blast of purple light knocked him off his feet.

"Nice shot," Barry called over to Averey. She rolled onto her back, rolling backwards onto her shoulders before she kicked her legs up and forwards, launching herself back on to her feet. "You ok?"

"I'm good," Averey replied, "but we can't let him get in that car. It's Lisa Snart."

Barry turned back towards Shadow Thief, who was halfway to the car. The car started up, headlights turning on. Gritting his teeth, Barry ran after the man, reaching out to grab him. But, he faltered. He suddenly felt drained and stumbled to keep himself upright. A fraction of a second later, his speed was back to normal, but it was enough time to give Shadow Thief the space he needed. Throwing a laugh over his shoulder, Shadow Thief jumped into the shadow off the side of the car, and a moment later appeared in the dark interior of the passenger seat.

"I'm sorry about this," Lisa said, looking Barry in the eyes as he neared. She shifted the car into drive. "But, I really have no choice." Stomping her foot on the pedal, the car burst forward.

 _Clank. Clunk._

Averey's boomerangs bounced off the side of the car, clattering harmlessly to the floor. "Damn it," she said, coming to a stop. "I was aiming for her tires." She stepped up behind Barry, who had his hands on his knees, breathing heavily, and patted him on the back.

He gripped his cowl and pulled it off his head. "A Snart apologizing," Barry said, breathing heavily, "that's not something you see every day."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

I know I say this a lot, but I do apologize for the wait between chapters here. Thank you for being so patient. I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I enjoyed writing it. We're really moving forward with the story now that we've got some of these plot points out. How do you think I'm handling Malcolm and Jay so far? Where do you think I'm going with Belle Reve?

I had a poll on Twitter asking what readers thought of the serious vs lightheartedness of the story so far. Results are 50/50 with it's a good balance with wanting more fun. So, since I've been thinking more lightheartedness and fun could be added, and everyone needs a break from all the heavy stuff every now and then, that will be added more moving forward as well.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Something you didn't understand and need further explanation on? Overall thoughts? Please leave a review. I appreciate every piece of feedback to help my writing.

-Rhuben

.

 **Review Replies:**

 _Ethan:_ For any normal person, even running 12 miles per hour on a treadmill is really fast and is obviously something it takes time to get up to. I think the fastest I've seen someone do was 20 mph. Thanks for continuing to read this story.

 _gods-own:_ It is certainly something they hadn't even considered given the events from the last story to this one. But, it is something I'm excited to explore more here. Thanks for reading.


	15. Don't Want to Waste Another Day

**Chapter Fifteen:** Don't Want to Waste Another Day

* * *

With a flourish, Caitlin signed her name to the last of her Mercury Labs documents. She was no longer a member of the Mercury Labs. She knew it was the best decision – who could work for competing companies with no sense of guilt at all, or fear of being caught – but didn't like the feeling that she was letting those at Mercury Labs down. They had projects that required her expertise. They picked her brain over lunch to think about Dr. McGee insisted there wouldn't be anything that would stall them, but her reputation of dependability, responsibility, and overall work ethic would be in jeopardy.

Caitlin Snow was not the type to resign from a position, especially one that she's only had for a little over six months. Or at all. Whatever choice she made, she stuck with it. As evident with her staying with S.T.A.R. Labs in the first place. As long as metahumans were around, threatening the city, she would be needed. And shew would be needed more frequently at S.T.A.R. Labs than the lengthy projects she had under her belt. Truth be told, her thoughts were always on Barry, and Cisco, and S.T.A.R. Labs and metahumans, no matter how hard she tried to hold them back and focus on her work.

No one else could correlate her knowledge and education of the human body to what it was that they had created the night of the accident. No one else could give Barry answers to the questions that he asked in the middle of a fight. Even when, for a brief moment, Central City could rest and move on from its previous metahuman encounter, she would still be working, learning as much as she could about metahumans. The work never stopped. Her brain never shut off.

And now, her back and forth thoughts, were making it hard for him to set down the pen she clutched tightly between her fingers. But, it was already done.

"Dr. Snow?" Caitlin looked up from the pen she started spinning between her fingers and across the table to Dr. McGee who was straightening a stack of papers. Dr. McGee's eyes were narrowed in concern. "Are you alrght? I know this is an important decision for you."

"I'm ok," Caitlin replied, pushing a smile to her face. She set down the pen and slid her palms down her skirt, smoothing any wrinkles. "Thank you for asking."

"It's natural to wonder if you're making the right decision," Dr. McGee said. She threaded her fingers together, clasping her hands. "I understand your career has not been easy to navigate thus far, but I can assure you that with your intelligence and expertise in the field, and the innovative ideas you do have, no one is going to use this against you. I still have other companies telling me how hard they tried to recruit you."

Caitlin blinked. Her head pulled back in surprise. After everything with S.T.A.R. Labs, she had stayed with Harrison Wells out of loyalty. Not just to him, but to what S.T.A.R. Labs stood for. It was silly, but she would always say to Ronnie that she felt like she could reach for the stars and actually snag one.

Things were complicated now. She was proud of her work, but how long could she take keeping it a secret? It was for the greater good, of course, and she was proud to stick with S.T.A.R. Labs for this long, but she was tired of the pitying looks. The whispers behind her back others think she can't hear. And it was two-fold; not just her connotation with S.T.A.R. Labs, but in losing her fiancé. If they knew she had actually lost him twice…

There was a reason why her personal life was never really a topic of conversation while at work. People had known that she and Ronnie were together. They often spent their meal breaks together – and with Cisco – and would always be together before and after clocking in and out, but when they were at work, that was their priority. Though Ronnie was a nice distraction every now and then.

"I'm not deaf. I do not spread office gossip, though I know what others are saying. They think it's job hopping, you're wanting to find any way to get a promotion," Dr. McGee trailed off, using the flat of her hand to smooth the back of her short cut hair. "I'll have you know that it is not what I think of you. I understand you have to do what's best for you and maybe…" She sighed. "Maybe I was a bit too ambitious with your recruitment. For that, I apologize."

"Ma'am, I don't care what other people think of me," Caitlin replied. She tucked her hair behind her ears. "I just want you to know how grateful I am for this opportunity, and for your continued support in me."

"Of course, of course," Dr. McGee emphatically replied. "Dr. Snow, in my experience, it takes a while to adjust to a new environment. You've come in here and put your all into your work." Her lips pursed. "It's a quality I do recognize and appreciate of everyone I ask to join our team at Mercury Labs."

Caitlin's lips twitched. Many people touted the importance of a work-life balance in regard to the job hunt. In this case, her work was her life. And Barry's life. And Averey's life. And anyone else who recognized the fact that they are a metahuman. Maybe, just maybe, they would turn to S.T.A.R. Labs for help. If they did, she wanted to be as prepared as possible.

"What I'm really trying to say is, while, yes, we do strive to put every ounce of ourselves into our work, it is important to recognize when it becomes overwhelming." Dr. McGee's lips lifted into a hint of a smile. "And I recognize that this is the best choice of action for you, even if you think it may not be." She offered her hand. "If you ever wish to return to Mercury Labs, please let me know. I will do everything in my power to make it so."

"Thank you, thank you so much, Dr. McGee," Caitlin said, shaking her head as she got to her feet. "I'm glad we are able to part on good terms."

Standing as well, Dr. McGee used both hands to cover Caitlin's. "You took Eliza Harmon under your wing and helped her out of her shell," she said. "She's really growing into her own here, advancing quickly."

"Thank you, Dr. McGee," Caitlin said, breaking their handshake. "I have cleared out my office, notified everyone I've been in contact with, wrapped up my projects, and have signed everything so…" She lifted her hands in the air, shrugging her shoulders, before dropping them down to her sides with a light slap. "That's it. I'll turn in my badges on the way out."

Grabbing her purse from the floor, Caitlin shouldered the bag and left the office. Once the elevator doors closed, cutting her off from the halls of Mercury Labs, she settled back into the corner of the moving box. She used her hands to brush her hair back from her face before placing them on the railing. Upon stepping into the lobby, it was then she noticed how hard she was gripping them. Her fingers throbbed when she signed herself out of the building, when she handed over the last pieces of Mercury Labs property, and they throbbed as she gripped her keys, making her way into the parking lot, only to stop short when she spotted Cisco leaning up against the trunk of her car.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, hiking the strap to her purse upper her arm. "Are those for me?" She nodded towards the bouquet of flowers he held in his hands.

"It was your last day," Cisco announced, holding the flowers out to her, "thought you might need something to cheer you up." He slid his hands into his pockets and smiled. "And to let you know that you don't need to overthink it. You've got my support one way or another."

"Admit it, you'd be upset if I stayed," Caitlin said, moving to sniff the flowers.

"That I would, but, I'd be the great friend I am, and mask all that with an outward appearance of optimism and support," Cisco said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I hope it's ok. I know Ronnie always gave you flowers on special occasions. I figured why not celebrate the small stuff, too."

"Of course it's ok." Caitlin stepped forward to give him a hug. "They're beautiful, thank you. I was going to meet you at S.T.A.R. Labs, though."

Cisco snorted. "I know you, Cait," he replied. "You agonize all day over telling me you have to cancel dinner plans."

"Which isn't often."

"True." Cisco stabbed the air with an index finger. "And your dependability is something I love about you."

Lifting her eyes to the ceiling, a scoffing laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it. Cisco's eyebrows lifted. "Dependable," she repeated. That word. She was really starting to question whether it was a great trait to have or not. There was too much pressure in that word. You needed to be perfect. The best. The smartest. Unwavering.

"What's up?" Cisco asked. "And don't say nothing, because you're biting your lip."

Caitlin immediately released the lip she trapped between her teeth. She wasn't known for her outbursts. She carefully thought through her words. Her lips were the last line of defense before everything was out in the open. "People view dependability as a positive thing," Caitlin explained, "but what if because of it we're losing so much?"

Cisco crossed his arms over his chest. He slowly nodded. "Is this about Eo-Wells?"

"We stayed with a man who we thought was worth being loyal to," Caitlin explained. "Our careers took a hit." She swallowed. "I was just talking with Dr. McGee and while she does understand my decision, she talked more about work. My projects and Mercury Labs in general."

"Does that really surprise you, though?" Cisco asked. Caitlin pulled her eyebrows together. "When Barry and Dr. Wells went to try and get the tachyons from her, he had to threaten her with police presence just to get it." He bobbed his head from side to side. "Annnd the two have been working for competing companies – and competing with each other – for ages. Maybe she's just really seeing her chance to get ahead of S.T.A.R. Labs?"

"Yeah, maybe," Caitlin said with a sigh.

"But?"

"Why are we the ones that keeps taking the blame for everything Dr. Wells screwed up? Hartley was blacklisted because he found out the accelerator was unstable. No one wanted anything to do with us when we chose to stay with S.T.A.R. Labs. Now, he's admitted everything he's done, and gotten away with it. Leaving us behind to pick up the pieces."

"Believe me, Cait, that's only a part of the reasons why I'm mad at him," Cisco said, stepping forward to gently grasp her wrists. "I get it, ok? I'm angry, too. I'm—" Caitlin watched as Cisco suddenly shuddered. His eyelids fluttered, jaw dropped, breath rushed out of his mouth.

"Cisco?" Caitlin gently shook him and a moment later, he was taking in a deep breath of air through his nose, blinking rapidly. "Cisco are you alright?"

"Yeah, uh, yeah." Cisco attempted a smile, pressing his palm to his forehead. "Just a headache. I'm ok."

"Any halos? Sensitivity to light? Sound?" Caitlin pulled her hand from Cisco's and placed it on his forehead. He did feel a little clammy. "Nausea? Dizzyness?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Cisco insisted. "Really, Cait."

"Still," Caitlin said as she removed her palm from his face. "We should get you to S.T.A.R. Labs, make sure everything is ok."

"You've never had a headache before?" Cisco asked. Caitlin's eyes widened at the sudden edge that came to his tone. He crossed his arms a second time. "Relax. My head just hurts a little bit, that's all. Ok?"

Caitlin swallowed. "Ok. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, too," Cisco said. His lips parted in a grin. One that was to change the subject, Caitlin could tell. She would appease him, anyway. "Your hands are so cold, you may have just given me a brain freeze."

"There's nothing wrong with preferring a colder work environment," Caitlin said. She clutched the flowers to her chest. "You're ok to drive?"

"I'll meet you there," Cisco replied, retrieving his keys from his pants pockets. He spun them around his finger and angled his head in a nod towards the flowers. "Speaking of a cold environment, keep those in cooler water and they'll last longer." At Caitlin's gaze his eyes widened slightly. "My mom used to take me out in the garden with her and have me dig all the holes for her plants because she didn't like the worms and bugs. I learned a thing or two from her."

His bright smile reappeared. "If there ever was a time to hit up a bar, I think it's now. I've got it all planned out, and we'll hit all the best places," he announced.

"Oh, no, Cisco," Caitlin protested, "I'm not really up for a bar crawl."

"Nonsense." Cisco waved his hand in the air. "Even Dante's up for it; no matter the time or place he'll be there." His smile faded slightly. "And, god knows, if I'm going to be around him that long, even _I'll_ need it."

"You were the one who invited him."

"Yyyep, I did." His smile seemed frozen to his face. "Thanks for the reminder, Caitlin." With that, he pointed the fob on his keys towards his car parked a few spaces away. It chirped as the doors unlocked. "See you at S.T.A.R. Labs."

Caitlin settled in the driver's seat of her car, making sure to keep the flowers safe. She smiled to herself. If Ronnie were still around, any gift she got him, he would go as far as buckling it up in its own seat. Shaking her head, she started her car and pulled out into traffic, trying to leave the thought of just how much Dr. Wells had managed to get away with behind.

"Ok, we're all here," Barry announced as soon as Caitlin stepped into the Cortex. She set her purse and flowers into her empty chair. "Except Averey, she said she had to get into work early today to help set up for the grand opening."

"And Captain Singh thinks there was some sort of emergency at home," Joe added from the door to the medical bay. "So, Barry and I have got some time. I just need to let him know when we're on our way in."

"Ok, um, let me think," Caitlin said, scanning the patient faces of everyone in the room. She had notified them all about needing to be at S.T.A.R. Labs as early as possible this morning but was still startled to see them there. Of course, with Joe, punctual was something even Barry Allen could be. She was a S.T.A.R. Labs employee again, it was time to get back to business.

Briefly shaking her head, she stepped around the computers and made her way into the medical bay. Instantly, her shoulders relaxed, and her muscles were no longer tense. Cisco had always joked that even running through inventory would be a fun time for her, and he wasn't exactly wrong. Everything in their correct places calmed her, and this was where she was meant to be.

"Um, if I may," Jay said from behind her. Caitlin half turned to look at him, and he gazed back at her with a questioning look. "I had seen everything that Professor Stein and Cisco have been trying so far to stabilize the breach. I have a couple of suggestions, and it would give you some time to organize yourself here." Caitlin hesitated in response. A flicker of annoyance appeared in his eyes. "It's not like I'm going to try and push them in or something."

For a brief moment, Caitlin would understand why Barry wasn't so trusting of Jay right off the bat. Here was someone else who insisted so much about wanting to help them. _You've run every test you can think of,_ Caitlin reminded herself, _and you've run them as many times as Barry has wanted you, too and the facts all come to the same conclusion._ And she couldn't deny facts. She was a scientist after all, and everything pointed towards Jay's story being truthful. At the same time, stories were just words carefully crafted for the speaker's entertainment.

"Right, yes, um, that would be helpful," Caitlin replied. At Barry's worrying glance, she put a smile to her face. "I'll be right there to join you all. And Jay is right, this will give me time to prepare how I'm going to present this to you."

"Ok. If you're sure." Barry gave Caitlin a smile before motioning for Cisco and Professor Stein to lead the way to the sub-levels of S.T.A.R. Labs.

Lowering herself into her chair, Caitlin stared out into the Cortex, and at the three empty seats behind the wide desk in the center of the Cortex. She stared at the spot where Dr. Wells could always be found, overlooking every aspect of S.T.A.R. Labs. She could picture that proud close-lipped smile – or was it smug? – that was always evident on his face the closer they got to finishing the creation of the particle accelerator.

She could hear the growl in his voice as he gave pep-talk after pep-talk. He was so proud to address the employees that night. He gave credit to everyone around him for achieving what people never thought he would be able to accomplish. And she had not only walked beside him on the way to that press conference but stood beside him. On stage. In front of everyone. One of his most trusted employees.

That night, he had said, "What does the future mean to you?" Caitlin had thought about a lot and none of this was to ever happen. Even when Dr. Wells lost, he still won. He wasn't wrong: they were in the midst of medical advancement, expanding their knowledge of physics, and just the idea of power in general. It was all in his speech, and she never thought twice about it.

She rest a hand on her stomach. Then, realizing what she was doing, she jumped to her feet. Scrambling to organize her garbled thoughts of blood work, and baby shots, and the Flash, and little baby gurgles, Caitlin grabbed a stack of files, and made her way out of the room. Not without a "damn you," that she threw over her shoulder as she went. The thought of babies was erased from her mind completely when she joined everyone in the sub-basement of S.T.A.R. Labs and set her eyes upon the swirling mass that was the breach. She had seen it a couple times when delivering food to Professor Stein and Cisco as they constantly worked to find a way to stabilize it, but there was just something mesmerizing about them.

"I just don't understand how these could be all around Central City and no one has said anything about them," Caitlin said. "People call 9-1-1 over the strangest things. After Flash Day Iris had to put out a blog post to not go and look for the source of our Flash Signal."

"If they're as unstable as this one is," Jay said, "they won't always appear to the naked eye." His face darkened. "Zoom always had the upper hand with the breaches. He was there one minute and then"—he snapped his fingers—"gone the next." He turned to face the breach, planting his hands on his hips. "What have you tried so far?"

"Just about everything you could think of, apart from pulling out our hair," Cisco said. "Which I don't think will help anything." He slid his hand over his shoulder-length hair. "Or anybody. I mean; this face without hair? Come on."

"How do we know it's unstable?" Joe asked. "I mean, we've never seen one of these things before, so—" He whirled around, jaw dropped, eyes wide as Barry went skidding across the floor after colliding with the breach. If Caitlin wasn't sure she had the same expression on her face, she would have burst out laughing.

" _That's_ how you know," Jay said dryly, merely looking down at Barry. Caitlin watched his eyes slow close, shoulders slowly lift, and nostrils flare as he took in a deep breath of air. For a moment, Caitlin felt herself still. She had seen it so many times with Dr. Wells. And her own mother. The message was clear: there was no time for foolishness. Just like all the other times, it was gone an instant later. A smile was on his face. He chuckled. "I could have told you not to do that."

"Yeah," Barry groaned, rolling onto his side to peer up at Jay. "Why didn't you?"

Jay laughed louder. "I'm sorry, Flash," he replied. He grinned. "You were moving so fast, I didn't have time to tell you."

"Ha, ha." Barry rolled himself onto his stomach, pushing himself up onto his forearms. "We will find a way to get your speed back, Jay."

"That's good, because once we get this thing stabilized, I'll use it to head back home," Jay replied. He walked over to Barry and squatted, offering him his hand. "Tech is a bit different on my Earth. Maybe something in my lab could help us figure out what happened to my speed." Taking Barry's hand, he hauled him to his feet. "Meanwhile, we need to stabilize this. You said you've tried everything you could think of?"

"Well, we have also considered the theory that one would need to be connected to the Speed Force," Professor Martin said, finger tips pressed together, "to be able to pass through safely. The accelerated regeneration that speedsters, such as Barry and yourself, possess acts as a parachute, so to speak. Allowing you to pass through safety with minimal damage to yourselves. If there is any present at all."

"Would that mean the energy they give off while running, all of that electricity, could be what keeps the breaches stable?" Joe asked. "Zoom hasn't used this one—thank god—so it's not stable."

"All right, stand back," Barry said, getting to his feet. He clapped his hands together before moving to brush the dirt off his clothes. "I have another idea."

"Wait, Barry, hold on," Cisco said, talking quickly, "I get what you're saying, but that's really not a good idea. Energy is what the breach needs, but—and he's running." Cisco dropped his arms down to his sides as Barry's orange-yellow lightning travelled around the room. Wind pulled at their clothes. "Everybody get down!"

Caitlin ducked down behind the cart nearest to her. Jay slid across the floor, knees colliding into her side. Knocked off balance, Caitlin grabbed onto Jay's arms, steadying herself. As Jay looped an arm around her shoulders, hand pressing on the back of her head, Caitlin tried her best to not notice just how solid his form was. Of course, with all of his speed, his muscles would be well-toned.

She didn't have a lot of time to dwell on her thoughts as the roar of the wind suddenly stopped. In its place was Barry's scream of effort, and the loudest cracking sound Caitlin had ever heard in her life. She slapped her hands over her ears, squeezed her eyes shut. Behind her eyelids she could see the strobe light-like effect of the lightning as it bounced around the room before losing energy and dissipating. The faint smell of smoke drifted to her nose.

"Ok," Jay said, grabbing Caitlin's arm, gently pulling her to her feet, "I think we're ok."

Caitlin slowly poked her head out from behind the cart. Barry stood staring at the swirling breach. Nothing about it had changed. It still twisted and swirled, taunting them. Wide-eyed, Barry lifted one hand to cover his mouth, the other was planted on his hip.

"Barry," Joe said, pointing a warning dad-finger in Barry's direction, "don't ever do that again."

"Mmhm." Barry's hum came out high-pitched. He rapidly nodded his head in agreement. "No problem."

"If you waited five seconds – which I understand is an eternity for you – you would have given me time to tell you what you need to do to stabilize this thing," Jay said, crossing his arms over his chest. He angled his head to the side. "This thing is just one mass of twisting energy. The Speed Force helps keep it open; all the energy a speedster makes is much more powerful than your average lightning storm and it's that kind of energy that will keep it open. What we need is a constant source of—"

"Negative energy," Cisco said along with Jay. Caitlin, like everyone else in the room, looked over at Cisco in surprise as he continued matching Jay word for word. "Dense negative energy, positive pressure." Jay lifted an eyebrow. "Like the quantum splicer with Firestorm, the breach will stabilize with the extra output of energy strong enough to 'hold its walls up'."

"That's correct," Jay said, "how did-?"

"Long story." Cisco waved his hand in the air.

"Jay what you're describing is using CFL Quark matter which, unfortunately, we haven't exactly figured out on this Earth," Caitlin said, clasping her hands together in her lap.

"Remember how I said there were some changes from my Earth to yours?" Jay asked, eyes still fixed on Cisco. Cisco shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Our technology is more advanced. I work with it all of the time." He unfolded one arm and snapped his fingers. "It won't take me long to create it here. I'm just going to need some help." He sighed through his nose. "And a lot of coffee. I hear that, uh, Jitters is having its grand re-opening today? And that the Flash might have helped speed up the process?"

"Wait, I still needed to go over this with you all," Caitlin said, sweeping her arm to indicate the folder of papers. She groaned when she realized the contents were now scattered all over the room. Of course. It was just like her life: just when she thought she could have things in perfect order, something would throw it out of whack. A split second later, Barry rushed around the room collecting everything. With a sheepish apologetic smile, he handed it to her. "We can't just talk about this in the open."

"Quite the contrary," Professor Stein said. Caitlin's lips parted. "With everybody that's bound to be there, there is a better chance of not being overheard."

"It was Harry Potter's flaw in the fifth book," Cisco commented, rocking back and forth on his heels. "And it's bound to be packed." He made a face. "Let's not try and act like we've never talked about important things in public before. It's nice to get a change of scenery every once in a while""

Caitlin sighed. She only worried that soon there wouldn't be a place in all of Central City she could go, that any of them could go, to escape Harrison Wells.

* * *

Averey refused to smile for the camera that was pointed in her face. No one would want to smile if they were stuck in the hot, stuffy, and mobility-binding monstrosity of a costumed character. Whomever thought it was a great idea to have a giant coffee cup as a costume was number one on her list. For the moment.

The second was her new probation officer Jane Atwell.

A home visit was well in Jane's rights and was part of her job as Averey had been told in no uncertain terms. So was a work visit. However, her first day back working CC Jitters's grand opening was already stress inducing. She didn't want to have to worry about what it was that was being discussed with her managers behind closed doors. Jane had essentially tracked down Tracey as soon as she set foot on the premises.

"All I'm saying is 'at 'is is not a 'ig 'eal," Averey had insisted in the Kingston home that morning, doing her best to speak around the bagel clenched between her teeth, "an' 'ou really 'on't need to 'ome." The wrist monitor that had repeatedly bumped into the back of her head, as she had attempted to twist her pull her hair into a ponytail, was reminder enough of what was expected of her. Sweat collecting under the band from the even stuffier giant foam hands Averey adorned, and the monitor sliding up and down her wrist with each grand movement, made sure she couldn't forget about it.

"I like coffee just as much as the next person," Jane had insisted with her thin, tightlipped smile. With how pursed her lips were, Averey had thought to herself, Jane didn't need anything else to wind her even tighter than she already was. "This will also give me time to chat with your boss, see how you are at work, that kind of thing."

As her new probation officer, Jane Atwell, was doing her duty by Averey – a surprise visit was well in her job description. So was a work visit. And making sure she stuck to the rules of her probation by making the executive decision to strap Averey's new monitor to her wrist. It didn't make it any less frustrating. Knowing that she still had three more months of this made Averey want to get out of dodge as quickly as possible. It was funny that she was even in Central City for as long as she was. Staying in one place for too long was never part of her plan.

Masking a chuckle of sudden realization with a loud call of "CC JITTERS, GRAND OPENING, GET YOUR COFEE HERE," and a well-timed wiggle of the giant sign in her hands, Averey wondered when her decision to stay in Central City had come about. She had always been a wanderer. Travelling was her thing. Stay in one place long enough to get what she wanted out of it (mostly learning and an education) and move on. It was no wonder she was thought of as a flight risk.

Before Central City, Keystone was the one place she had actually stayed for a lengthy amount of time. Of course, there was the obligation of her years' worth of probation. Now it was working alongside the Flash as Visionary – not that anyone really noticed that Visionary was gone. (If anyone really paid attention, then they would notice Visionary's disappearance started around the same time as her court proceedings.) All she had ever planned on was getting to America, finding her dad, and getting out.

If Jane Atwell had anything to say about it, and in a way she pretty much did, Averey would be tailed every single day. Flight risk or not, Jane did her job and she did it well, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Averey thought of her as intense, but Audra insisted all Jane wanted to see people succeed; and being tough and realistic was the only way to go about it.

"Muuuuuum," Averey whined, taking baby steps to swing herself around to face her parents. One bad step and she would find herself top heavy and kissing the concrete. Again. "Stop taking picturrrres. This isn't funny." She jabbed the arrow sign in her hands in their direction, trying to get them to back off. It worked well for the kids who were trying to poke and prod her earlier.

"You look adorable, honey," Elle said, her broad smile half visible behind her cell phone. "We've never celebrated Halloween. I'm making up for lost time, yeah?"

Daniel cackled. "The pout is what makes it," he said. "What other cozzie would they have you dress up in? A giant cronut?"

"Don't give them any ideas," Averey said, "they were already ecstatic that I could fit in this thing." She shrugged. At least she wasn't assigned to work right in front of the store. It had taken her ten minutes just to squeeze out the doors. "Whatever I can do to show I'm worth keeping on after probation, right?"

"It's only until the end of the year, sweetie," Ellie said, using her finger to tuck the stray lock of Averey's hair up under the rounded foam on the face hole of the costume. "They'd be mental not to keep you on. You're a hard worker. Organized. You have great time management skills. And your dad is still keeping you on with his company which shows you can multi-task."

Averey gave a fleeting smile. Between the minimum wage pay at CC Jitters, and few photography jobs (if she could even concentrate on it long enough to get them done), continuing work with the construction company brought only a little comfort to her financials worries. And she couldn't expect Barry to speed projects up with his guilt all the time. She had already brought metahumans and her abilities too close to her parents. They had only just stopped talking about what may have caused the ground to behave the way it had when the media was on their front lawn.

"Everything will work out, Ave, don't worry," Daniel said. "You've been doing everything the officers have asked of you." He angled his head towards the story. "And Tracey is bound to give you a good review." His lips parted into a wide smile, and he stuck out his tongue. "And I may be more inclined to give up tea and start skulling coffee if it means I get to see you wearing this."

"Oh, go get your free coffee, and let me work." Averey moved to swat at him, but he jumped away, laughing. "Oh, no." She stumbled under the sudden shift in weight of the costume before tipping forward onto the concrete. The sign in her hands skittered away. Patrons in the outside dining area tittered. "Ow." Gritting her teeth, Averey attempted to roll onto her back, the front, or the side to pull herself back up to her feet, swinging her arms and kicking her legs to try and get more momentum. Giving up she shouted, "Help me up!" and dissolved into laughter.

She didn't know where it came from. She didn't know how long exactly it had been since she actually laughed. Once started, Averey couldn't stop. Her stomach hurt. She took in deep gasps of air, trying to squash the laughter that bubbled up in her chest. Daniel and Ellie grabbed onto her hands, lifting her off the ground, laughing with her. When she was on her feet the bubble in her chest turned into a rock.

Her lips started trembling. Her teeth clicked. Her nose burned. Averey was crying. Breathing in sharply through her nose, she blinked rapidly to clear the tears that suddenly gathered in her eyes. Trying to shield her face from her parents, she turned and shuffled (the kids pointing and laughing at her earlier described it more as waddle) to grab the fallen sign. Tilting forward must have allowed gravity to pull her tears out of her eyes as they gathered in abundance before dropping onto the concrete.

"Oh, Ava." Ellie picked up the discarded sign.

"It's ok, kiddo." Daniel unfurled his rolled sleeves. Cloth gripped in his fingers, he dabbed at Averey's wet eyes.

Averey sniffed pitifully yet felt comforted all at the same time. How she ever concluded that she could get through the past couple of years without their support was beyond her. It was a wonder how she thought she could get through anything all by herself. But she never wanted a trade: her parents for Eddie? She never even thought about it.

Then again, she hadn't thought so much about anyone but herself. How was _she_ going to get out of the Royal Flush Gang? How was _she_ going to help Barry? How was _she_ going to convince Eddie that she wasn't in any trouble? _She_ had restrictions for six months, so it would be easier for _her_ to cope by dropping Cisco.

"No, it's—I'm fine," Averey said, trying to talk through a tight voice. She loudly cleared her throat. "It's just real-really bright out here." Not so bright that she couldn't handle the discomfort behind her eyes. The fall weather was on its way in, the skies overcast. All the day needed was a downpour.

"I haven't seen you like this since your first day at Kindy," Ellie joked. She gave a gentle smile. "Oh, honey, you don't have to lie to us. You're just finally allowing yourself to start grieving. If you need to take some time today to let it out, go ahead and let it out."

"And remember," Daniel said with a wink, "if anybody tries to kick you, I reckon you should just kick them back. Let out that frustration." Ellie made a face and elbowed her husband in the side. "I'm just saying." Averey chuckled, closing her eyes to allow him to finish patting her cheeks dry. Now wasn't the time to cry. That time had passed. Everything was ok now. Eddie was back. "Try and have a good day. And don't spit in anyone's coffee."

"Even if they do deserve it," Ellie added, "like that bloke from Flash Day."

"All right, all right, let's get going before we start making a hit list or something," Daniel said, wrapping his arms around Ellie. He looked Averey in the eye. "If you want to talk about Eddie and everything when you get home, we'll be there to listen."

"Yes, always. We saw the news this morning; we know he's turned up alive." Ellie handed Averey her sign back. Averey didn't say a word. How did anyone bring up the fact that someone they had thought was dead was actually alive? "Just...have a great day. And we'll see you later."

"I will. Cheers." Averey gave a close-lipped smile. "Delete those pictures, mum. Please." Shaking her head, she made sure the sign in her hands was facing the right way before waving it over her head again. "Jitters grand opening. Get your coffee. Introducing a new drink: The Flash."

"I think I'd demand a ban on all cell phones if I had to wear that." Kendra looked like she was trying her hardest not to laugh as she stepped up beside Averey. "After having everything in my purse stolen, I think this would be cruel and unusual punishment."

"As if moving wasn't hard enough, yeah?" Averey said with a sympathetic smile. "Have there been anything new with the case?" Kendra twisted her mouth back and forth, shaking her head. "I'm sorry."

Kendra gave a wry laugh. "Starting to think it's a sign that Central City wasn't the best place to relocate to," she said. "I arrive the day of the singularity, all of my possessions were stolen, and some creep mistakes me for some other girl."

"Where would you go if you didn't come here?" Averey asked.

"Wherever I felt like it, I guess," Kendra replied. "I don't know, Central City feels like the right place to be. Like something was pulling me here." She kicked at the ground with a toe of her scuffed boot. "That sounds kind of crazy, I know."

"No, I get it." Averey reached a gloved hand into the neck portion of her costume. She pulled it away from her neck to get some air. "I used to travel a lot."

"Used to?" Kendra's eyebrows angled towards each other. She titled her head to the side. "Why'd you stop?"

"It's hard to go anywhere when you're on probation for a year."

"You…Oh. Oh!" Kendra's eyes widened. "Ohh. You've been…?"

"Arrested," Averey supplied. It was a bit of a surprise that she could come out with it so quickly. It wasn't that long ago she even had trouble forming the word in her mouth. It was a point of embarrassment for her. However, her name had been in the paper tied with her past gang ties. If other people chose to give her their unsolicited opinions about it, why not attempt to own it? "Twice, actually. Kinda, sorta, three times." She spread her arms out, nearly hitting Kendra in the face with her foam hand. "Sorry. Anyway, this was a stipulation to being rehired."

"How long do you have to be in there for?" Kendra asked.

"Uhh, let's see." Averey twisted back and forth, trying to gain enough momentum to swing her right hand up to her face. "Grrr." Twice, she slapped her self in the face, and once she nearly spun a full circle just trying to get the glove up to her mouth to grip it between her teeth long enough to pull her hand from the big glove. Giving up, and seeing the look of amusement on Kendra's face, Averey stuck out her bottom lip, letting out a huff of air that blew the lock of hair that managed to free itself from her forehead. "Right. Weird question: could you reach up under this to get my mobile?"

Kendra laughed, but did as she was asked. "You've got a couple of texts," she said, holding Averey's phone out to her. Kendra hesitate for a moment before using her free hand to pull the giant glove off of Averey's hand. "Here."

"Cheers," Averey replied, using her thumb to unlock her phone. Her eyebrows furrowed seeing the texts from Caitlin, and Barry. Barry's stood out to her: filled with nothing but a couple of lightning bolt emoticons; Caitlin's text message actually had words: _Meeting at Jitters if you can spare the time_. Selecting Barry's number, she lifted her phone to her ear. "Hey, I got your text. I'm just down the street. I can come now, I just need someone to cover me and take my break. Ok. See you. Ta." Bent over sideways, hiking up the side of the costume, Averey shoved her phone into her jeans pocket. "Mate, I'm sure things will work out," she said.

"Yeah." Kendra said the word with a sigh, sounding only slightly convinced. She offered Averey her elbow and the two slowly made their way down the street towards CC Jitters. "From what I've heard, he's pretty amazing."

"Eh, he's ok," Averey said with a half-smile. "I guess."

"Oh, he's nothing special," Kendra snort-laughed, throwing a hand into the air, "he just has super speed, and has been saving people left and right. Let's not forget he's had a whole day dedicated to him, _and_ a new coffee drink at Jitters from what I've heard. That's no big deal at all."

The two continued to converse as they made their way down the street and back to Jitters' front doors. After momentarily getting stuck in the door, trying to enter. "I take it back," Tucker, one of Averey's managers, said with a big grin as he wiped down a coffee ring on the counter top, " _this_ is only thing that can turn my day around."

"Knowing hundreds of customers are popping around for coffee doesn't help?" Averey asked.

"We've got call outs already," Tucker said with a roll of his eyes, "I have to work a double today and opening inventory tomorrow."

Averey made a face in sympathy. "Probably a bad time to ask you to cover me on break, yeah?" she asked.

Tucker slowly smiled. "Only if you cover my break the second lunch rush starts," he replied. Angling his head to the side, he glanced at the monitor in front of him before turning to start making the next order that came in. "See if you've still got the magic touch."

Averey smiled to herself. It was easy to work in a coffee shop when people came in every day ordering the same thing every day. Even if they didn't, her abilities were a leg up in remembering what the order was – especially for those that liked to customize their drinks with an "extra shot" of this, or "no foam" that. No soy. Extra caramel. Design made out of the cream. And for new customers, a general once over could have Averey's guess on their drink of choice correct seven out of ten times. It was better to keep her behind the counter, even if she could remember who, in a large party, ordered what.

"Deal."

"Oh, great," a man grumbled from the line at the far end of the counter. Scoffing, he turned to confer with the patrons in line behind him, indicating Averey. "So we have to worry about her stealing our money, too? We came for coffee and have to worry about the drawers coming up short."

"It's not stealing," Barry said, coming up to the counter, taking the four mugs of coffee that Tucker set on the counter, "when you're willingly handing over the money for goods."

"And you would know all about it," the guy said with a shake of his head. "You're that Allen kid." He waved his hand in the air, dismissing the two of them.

"Ah, cheers," Averey said, waving a hand in Barry's direction. "I appreciate it." She shuffled closer to him, lowering her voice. "And lucky for me, you don't have my abilities, so eventually, you'll forget this."

"Oh, believe me," Barry said, breaking out into a laugh, "that won't be happening for a long time—hey!" Barry jumped back, barely avoiding a collision with the pointed end of the arrow sign with his abdomen. "Watch it."

"Oh, ho, ho," Averey laughed, her eyebrows lifting, "four incredibly caffeinated coffees, and you're still slow." She angled her head towards the large sign blaring the new drink's name. Barry gazed at it, eyebrows coming towards each other. "Guaranteed to put a zip in your step. Not my idea by the way, mate. Oh! You remember Kendra."

"Yeah, hi, oh, um," Barry looked down at the coffee cups in his hands, then at Kendra's outstretched hand. "Here." He turned his arm and offered his elbow. "Sorry, that's—that's weird."

"No, it's ok," Kendra said, bumping his elbow with her own. "I wasn't thinking about that." She cleared he throat. "Anyway, I'll let you go, Averey. I came to talk with Tracey, and then I was going to head down to the station and talk some more with Officer Spivot. Coffee probably isn't the best idea considering how fast my heart is beating right now, but, why not take a look at the place I could hopefully work at, right?"

"You should have seen when I shadowed Joe at the precinct before I was hired," Barry said. "If I remember correctly, I might have implied Captain Singh had tendencies found in serial killers." Kendra gave him an odd look, but slowly nodded her head. "Hey, uh, I just want you to know we're doing everything we can to try and find out who had stolen your purse."

"I appreciate it," Kendra said. She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "I should go get in line." With a wave, she moved to get into the continuously long line at the counter.

"I'll meet you in a bit, I have to clock out and change," Averey said to Barry. "You're—" She did a quick sweep with her eyes around the coffee shop, focus zooming in and retracting from every corner, from every patron, "on the second landing. Got it."

After clocking off, she joined her friends at a table on the second landing of Jitters – Joe had needed to get to work right away after a call from Captain Singh, Professor Stein had a prior engagement with Clarissa, and Jay stayed behind to start work on stabilizing the breach. Iris, who was at CC Jitters to cover the grand opening for CCPN, joined them at Barry's insistence. Caitlin explained everything to her the second Averey sat down: there were discrepancies with Barry's latest blood tests compared to those before the metas from Earth-2 had started appearing.

"See?" Averey slapped the table with her palm. "This is what happens when you don't listen to me. You killed Atom Smasher, you get poisoned."

"That's not exactly what I said," Caitlin said, speaking slowly. She hunched over the table, using her arms to cover the medical charts, and pictures spread out in front of her as a patron passed. "I'm saying these discrepancies started sometime after Barry dealt with Atom Smasher."

"With Barry's regeneration capabilities, whatever radiation was absorbed into his body that night was bound to clear out in record time," Cisco said.

"What if it didn't?" Iris asked, slowly lowering the coffee cup she lifted up to her mouth.

"If Barry's blood cells are still acting this way, I don't think it has," Caitlin said slowly. Barry pushed his fingers through his hair, slumping back in his seat. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We don't know exactly what is happening here. This is only the second time I've seen this change. Clearly, your body is doing a good job fighting off whatever this is."

"Atom Smasher was from Earth-2, right? Maybe the chemical makeup of radiation over there is different or something."

"Yeah, maybe."

"I haven't felt sick or anything, though," Barry said. "I feel fine. I mean, just tired sometimes, but who doesn't after running a lot?"

Iris hummed, tilting her head to the side. " _Can_ you get sick?" she asked. "Your body could probably knock out the cold virus like _that_ , right?" She snapped her fingers. A smirk came to her face and she shook her head back and forth. "As if it would stop you, Mr. Perfect Attendance."

"There's nothing wrong with not wanting to miss a day of school," Barry protested. "I like to learn, ok?"

"This coming from the bloke who can barely get to work on time?" Averey asked, leaning back in her chair. She draped her arms over the middle bar of the horizontal railing behind her.

"Yeah, well, it's not only Barry I've been concerned with," Caitlin said, shuffling around the papers. "Cisco said he stared running some tests on you, Ave. And that you've been able to start running on the treadmill at 12 miles per hour?"

"Wait, you did?" Barry asked, doing a double take. "When?"

"Just the other night," Cisco replied. He tapped his fingernails against the side of his coffee mug. "I knew Caitlin would want to jump back into everything a S.T.A.R. Labs, so I got a jumpstart on some things for her."

"That's right, today was your last day at Mercury Labs," Iris said, giving Caitlin a sympathetic smile.

"How'd it go?" Barry asked. "I know it wasn't an easy decision for you."

"I appreciate it you, guys," Caitlin replied, "but this is really important. There's no way I could juggle doing both." She gave a gentle smile. "S.T.A.R. Labs is where I'm supposed to be. Barry owns it now, it doesn't have to be the same as before."

"Yeah, hey, man, since we're on that topic," Cisco said as nonchalantly as possible. Barry pressed his lips together, watching his friend drag his finger around the rim of the cup. "When can we expect to get our paychecks? Not that I'm, like, hounding you for it or anything." Caitlin clicked her tongue, giving him a sharp look. "I'm just saying."

"Look, no, I get it, guys," Barry said, waving his hand in the air. "I'm just new to all of this; owning a building, having all of these funds. I have auto pay set up for you guys, you'll be paid, don't worry."

"Cool. I mean, I think Caitlin would be happy with a sign officially commemorating her spot in the parking lot, but still." Cisco mimed wiping his brow. "I have to be able to keep my Netflix and Amazon Prime accounts going, you know?"

Caitlin chuckled, shaking her head. "Averey, your heart rate and blood pressure were all in normal ranges," she explained. "Her glucose levels were ok, too. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"So, what's the problem?" Averey asked.

"Just the speed in which you've been able to increase your strength and endurance," Caitlin said. "Given your restrictions to your backyard and the gym, it's just something to pay attention to. With the mutation in your abilities, this shadow walking—"

"Mm-mm, mm-mm." Cisco lifted a finger in the air. He took a long sip of his coffee and shook his head back and forth. He made a show of swallowing the hot drink. "The name isn't bad, ok, we just need to spice it up a bit."

Iris hit herself on the forehead with the palm of her hand. Barry widened his eyes but chose to take a long sip of his coffee, never saying a word. Averey chuckled, catching Cisco's eye before looking away.

"The _point_ is," Caitlin said, "is that we need to be open to a multitude of changes with both Barry and Averey. We've already established that Averey's new abilities stem from her camera the night of the accelerator accident: lights and shadows." She was silent for a moment. "It may be that Averey could, _potentially_ , start moving at the speed of light. Or the speed of darkness, I guess. Some believe shadows are faster than light."

Silence followed Caitlin's words.

Averey's lips briefly parted before she closed them again. Running at the speed of light? Barry was the personification of the speed of light. There was no way she could move that fast. "Cait, I've just been working out a lot. I've lost weight. I was bound to get faster, yeah?"

"It's just a theory," Caitlin said, gathering her files. "There's no telling how many tests, how much training we'd have to go through, to fully understand what is happening."

"But we should keep this in mind should Shadow Thief pop 'round again," Averey said. She pushed her hair back off her face and held it in her hands behind her head in a ponytail. A second later, she allowed her hair to splay across her shoulders. "This is twice he's been able to outdo us."

Barry slowly nodded. "It would explain how he was able to incapacitate us so quickly," he said. "I barely moved before he grabbed me."

"Ooh, give you enough of these Flash drinks, and you'll be able to catch him in no time," Iris said, lowering her cup. Barry shifted his gaze to the ceiling, scratching the back of his head. "Stop, Barr." She reached out a hand and placed it over his wrist. "Everyone in Central City just wants to show the Flash how grateful we are that he's around."

"The last time they tried that, Atom Smasher attacked, remember?" Barry asked. He twitched in his seat, as if expecting someone to jump out at him. "And I still haven't received the key to the city, yet." Cisco made a noise in outrage. "Relax, I didn't really want it."

"Um, excuse me," Cisco said, putting a hand to his chest, "but seeing as the Flash is like, the pride and joy of S.T.A.R. Labs, I already had a place picked out to put it on display." There was a pause of silence before they all started to laugh. "Anyone want another round? I got the last one."

"I don't think we should have more than one of these in a day," Caitlin said.

"I'm off the clock, you can take it down yourself," Averey said, putting the legs of her chair to the floor. She put her hands up defensively. "This is the only break I'll get all arvo, I'm not even going to touch a cup."

"I just brought these up here," Barry said. "And they were kind of heavy."

"Oh, boo hoo," Iris said with mock concern, "you know, dad did always try to get you to hit the gym more."

"For real?" Barry stared at her in shock and Iris laughed. "Rude."

"Fine, we'll settle this like adults." Averey started pointing at each person in the circle, excluding herself. "Ibble obble, black bobble, ibble obble, out." Her point landed on Barry. "Iris, you do it." Her eyes widened when she realized everyone was staring at her. "What?"

"'Ibble obble'?" Barry repeated.

"You don't do 'ibble obble'?" Averey asked, looking from one person to the other. "At all?" Slowly, they shook their heads. "Then, what'd you do to decide who was 'it'?"

"I never had the luxury of being able to join in any games at recess," Cisco said, scratching at his ear. A smile was fixed on his face. "Sadly."

"Umm, how about 'bubble gum, bubble gum', or 'eenie meanie'?" Iris asked, pushing her chair back. She grabbed two empty mugs of coffee. "I'll do it. I need to interview some other patrons about the opening day celebrations."

"Wait up." Averey took the other two and followed her down the stairs and to the main sitting area. They set the empty cups on the pickup end of the long counter. They were immediately swept up by a unformed worker, placed upside down on a rack.

"I wanted to give this to you, anyway." Iris reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope. Eyebrows furrowed, Averey took the envelope and opened it to find a cheque. "Congratulations; your first photos sold to Central City Picture News. Mr. Larkin included it with the article today, credit and all." Iris smiled as she watched Averey removed a folded piece of newspaper clipping from the envelope. Unfolding it, she smiled down at the cut out of Iris's newspaper article. "Do you want the pictures? Of you and Eddie?"

Iris's cheeks puffed up when she exhaled. "I don't know," she replied. "I hadn't thought about it, honesty. In fact, I haven't thought much about, if we're still engaged, or not, or." She shrugged. "We just haven't talked."

"Yeah." Averey gave a half smile. "At least this gives me more time to actually edit them."

Iris gaped at her, the corners of her lips turning upwards into a shocked smile. "Right, because you didn't have all the time in the world while on house arrest," she joked. Averey let out a breathy laugh; she really didn't have a rebuttal for it. Iris was right, in the grand scheme of things, she really had all the time in the world at home to do whatever she wanted. "I better get started on this article, Mr. Larkin wants it out as soon as possible, we've got some ads being printed tomorrow."

"Iris, watch it." Averey saw the woman Iris was walking towards too late. They collided.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Iris said, stumbling. "I didn't see you."

"That's ok." The woman turned, brushing her hair out of her face. Lisa Snart smiled evenly. "Most people don't realize I'm there. They also don't realize until too late whenever a previous item of theirs is missing." Iris immediately started checking her pockets and her bags. "Hello, Iris West."

"What do you want?" Averey asked.

"Relax, sweetie," Lisa said to Iris, keeping her gaze on Averey, "I haven't taken anything from you. You have nothing of value. Except for one thing: Miss West has connections to the Flash and I need to talk to him." Her bottom lip stuck out in a small pout. "It's important."

* * *

 **A/N:** Once again, I thank you all for your patience between chapters. Hurricane Florence, being sick, lack of motivation, lack of energy, writer's block, my muse jumping all around the place, working out things for later on in this story, a lot of reasons as to why it's been so long since the last update. But, it's finally here! I did, however, put up a one-shot called _Unwanted Visitors_ regarding Eddie's parents and hearing the news of his passing. That one-shot does tie into this series to an extent. So, check that out if you want.

There was more that was going to be put into this chapter, but it would have been way too long and I personally felt like it was just cramming too much into a small space, if that makes sense.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Need further explanation on anything? Leave a comment.

-Rhuben

.

 **Review Replies:**

 _Guest:_ I apologize that it's been longer since I said it would be for a new update, but thank you for this comment. It really put my rear into gear to really sit down and start working out this next chapter. Thanks a lot for reading and sticking with this story. I appreciate it.

 _Ethan:_ I don't know why I didn't respond to your review on the one-shot here: I can see why you thought of Voight when reading it, but that's not who I was basing it off of. Just that I was trying to write the idea that a senator (whether current or former) would just have an air about him that would make people want to please him at all times. All your guesses are really good and makes me just want to unload a bunch of spoilers on you!

 _gods-own:_ I'm so excited to get to Earth-2 so everyone can see what that version of Averey is like. I hope once we get there, everybody likes what I have in store. Thanks again for sticking with this story.


	16. Cold Hearted

**Chapter Sixteen:** Cold Hearted

* * *

A lot of things happened in-between the curved walls of S.T.A.R. Labs, but silence wasn't one of them. There was always some commotion going on. Whether it was the constant hammering, drilling, and echoing voices coming from the Pipeline as it was being built, light and jovial conversations from the break room discussing anything but the current state of work, or back and forth conversations between staff and Dr. Harrison Wells, preparing for site visits from potential investors and grant issuers, machine parts deliveries and so much more.

Sure, there were moments of humor and fun especially on the longest sleepless nights, but Cisco had never gone a day where he got absolutely no work done. Standing in the middle of the Cortex, staring at Lisa Snart as she slowly stepped heel toe, heel toe across the room, there was no way he would have been able to set his mind on any aspect of work. Luckily, Flash-work was work.

"So where's the Flash?" Lisa asked, spinning on her heel to face Cisco, Caitlin, and Averey. "He always struck me as one to arrive pretty quickly." Her eyebrows lifted, dark red lips parting in a sultry smile as she laughed through her nose at her double entendre.

Glancing over at Caitlin out of the corner of his eyes, Cisco wasn't surprised to see that she matched his wide-eyed look with one of her own. How long ago was it that they were even warning Barry, partially in jest, about something like that. Still, it was something else coming from her. The last time Cisco had taken stock in her words, he had been seduced into captivity, and threatened into creating a gun that caused transmutation of anything and anybody into solid gold. If it wasn't so terrifying, he would even be proud of himself for creating something to that caliber.

"Ay dios mio," Cisco muttered, massaging his forehead. "He'll be here, ok?"

"The Flash responds to emergencies," Caitlin said, clasping her hands together. "We don't exactly know what it is you need help with."

Lisa shook her hair back from her face, shifting her weight from one leg to the other, jutting out her hip. She briefly stuck her tongue out of her mouth in a scoff. "You know, I'm not a stranger to being snuck out of side doors, back doors, car doors," she said, "hiding my face from others, trying not to bring attention to myself or who I'm with. So your rush to get me out of Jitters wasn't anything out of the ordinary."

Her eyes landed on Cisco and lit up. She slowly smiled. "It sucked coming from you, especially, Cisco." Blinking, Cisco felt himself flush. Reaching up a hand to scratch at his ear, he cleared his throat. "Especially because I didn't get anything from your, first. Not even a cup of coffee, or nice conversation." She blinked. "How is your brother?"

"Fine," Cisco said, shortly. Her change in demeanor, her posture relaxing, and the softness of her voice nearly threw him off guard. Despite her ( _very_ ) attractive exterior, he wasn't going to be an easy target for her again. He couldn't be. Who knows what information could be extracted from him this time? Or what could happen with his family? With Dante's bad knee, he would be an easy target.

"No." Cisco watched the amusement disappear from her face. Her posture relaxed until she was no longer an Imposing force in the room. "I'm honestly asking: how is he? How is his knee?"

"He's fine" was on the top of his tongue, but he couldn't get the words out. Even when Armando called asking for an update, Cisco could feel the slight phoniness in his upbeat responses. Dante was working hard to get his knee back to normal, but Cisco knew just how dangerous Snart's Cold Gun was. Day in and day out he witnessed Dante's shuffling, hobbling, and painful expressions as they worked through physical therapy exercises. He'd watch sweat dot along Dante's hairline before it became a sheen over his entire forehead, the way his face screwed up as the throbbing pain became too much, and the anger burning in his eyes when he couldn't so much as bend his knee just to do something as simple as sitting down.

Sure, Snart was to blame for his brother's injuries. Snart was the one that pulled the trigger that put Dante in the, maybe permanent, position. But Cisco was the one that not only built the gun but put it in Snart's hands. Essentially, he had supplied the ice bullets.

"He's recovering," was what had come out of Cisco's mouth instead.

Lisa slowly nodded. "That's good." She gave Cisco a closed-lipped smile before taking another slow lap around the room. Averey's eyes followed her around the room. She only turned in the chair she was perched in behind the curved computer desk when Lisa was stepped out of her peripheral vision. Once Lisa's back was to the alcove housing the Flash and Visionary suits, Barry rushed into the room, blasting them all with a gust of air.

"You wanted to see me?" Barry asked, facing Lisa as she turned around to face him, brushing her disheveled hair out of her face. Frowning, she plucked a lock of hair from her lipstick. Barry gave Cisco a nod and a covert smile. "Thanks for calling me."

"Anytime, Flash," Cisco replied.

"Lisa here, says she needs your help," Caitlin said, motioning towards. "That it involves her brother."

"He's been kidnapped," Lisa replied. "We were just working together, running a hit, and then he was gone. Someone took him."

"The last time I had seen you, you were working the street races," Barry responded. His chin lifted upwards, eyes narrowing slightly. "Why didn't you ask for help then?"

Lisa didn't answer right away. She swung her arms as she slowly stepped back around to his side. "Because I was in the middle of a job," she replied. The corners of her lips lifted into a smile of pride. "I always get my assignments done. No matter what. No one can say I never finish the job."

"What does stealing cars have to do with what happened to your brother, though?" Cisco asked.

"There's a shop that installs mods on these cars," Lisa explained with a sigh. "On the right cars, with the right price. And for an even better return, they also operate as a chop shop. Both operations known only by certain sort of people."

"Of course," Caitlin said.

"So, what?" Barry asked. "There's a ransom hanging over your head for your brother? Get them all the money they need and Snart goes free?"

"More like a getaway car," Averey supplied. Lisa merely tilted her head in Averey's direction. "Street races are the perfect hunting ground, I reckon." She crossed her arms over her chest and propped one foot up on the side of the computer desk, ignoring Caitlin's noise of protest. "Witnesses just how fast the cars can actually go, pick out the best one to steal."

"That's a pretty piece of jewelry," Lisa commented, nodding towards Averey's crossed arms. Cisco glanced sideways at Averey. Her lips slightly pursed, she merely blinked, the only movement she took as she stared back at Lisa. Lisa tilted her head to the side, almost pouting. "Sadly, it's not really my style."

"Otherwise you'd take it from me?" Averey asked. Lisa's pout-lips curled in the corners, her eyebrows briefly lifted upwards. It was her turn to be silent. "Too bad there's no fun in people giving you things, yeah?"

"You still haven't explained to me what makes you think someone like Captain Cold was actually kidnapped," Barry said loudly, pulling everyone's attention back to him.

"We were at Central City Race Track, Lenny, Mick, and I," Lisa said. She pushed her hands into the pockets of her leather jackets. "Like I said, getting a car like one of those to a chop shop, and you can get a decent amount of money off the top." She shrugged. "Call it a delivery fee. Anyway, we were having a chat with the cage cashier. Nice and orderly at first; Mick made a bet, and he didn't get paid. Makes a guy run hot wouldn't you know it? So we took matters into our own hands and before I knew it, Mick was gone with the cash, Lenny was gone, and I woke up in a bush with a massive headache."

Lisa lifted a hand, rubbing the back of her head. Her eyebrows slid together, forming a crease between her eyebrows. "I've only just begun to remember bits and pieces of that night, but I distinctly remember seeing Lenny being thrown into a van," she explained. "I was hit on the head and I guess I blacked out for a while. Everything after that, and before I woke up is a blur."

"If you were actually out that long from a hit at the head, you'd be looking at serious brain damage," Caitlin pointed out, tilting her head to the side.

"Thanks for your prognosis, doctor," Lisa said.

"I'm just stating facts," Caitlin said with a scoff. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand why we should just believe you. You and your brother are _criminals._ Your whole family is, there's not changing that. Talking your way out of situations or ensuring that they go your way is kind of what you do."

Lisa shrugged. "We all excel in certain subjects," she replied. "We can't all be doctors." She put her gaze on Barry. "From what I hear, you owe a Snart a favor. As far as I'm concerned, I'm capable enough to collect that favor. Believe me or not, I don't care, but my brother is in trouble. I can just tell. You know him, he's got every second of every plan worked out, he wouldn't allow himself to fail. Especially not on a job he's done hundreds of thousands of times."

"She's got a point," Cisco said, massaging the back of his neck. "Snart has been on the top of CCPD's most wanted list for a while, and there's a reason why he, and _she_ , have been able to stay elusive for so long." He could feel all eyes on him. "The least we can do is hook her up to a lie detector test."

"She'll pass it," Averey said. Cisco looked over at her, she was staring intently at Lisa. "It's not entirely difficult to beat a test. Especially if one who submits to the test believes their own story. Lisa could answer all the questions honestly: how was he abducted? Lisa saw him thrown into a van, but it doesn't explain how he was incapacitated. Does she know where he is? No, since his current whereabouts are unknown."

Averey tilted her head to the side, continuing to scrutinize Lisa. "Whenever she lies, she tries to adopt the correct emotion, yeah? Her eyebrows furrow, showing worry, yet one is higher than the other, just slightly, but it is. Like her shoulders: she shrugs to show nonchalance, yet they'll lift in direct contrast to her words. 'She finishes her jobs', head shake and shoulder lift. _She_ didn't take the cash, yet it was stolen like they set out to do. She stuck pretty closely to the truth; she knows how to manipulate it to her advantage which she'd do on a polygraph. Yet, she can't help but feel proud of all the work she's done either. 'Call it a delivery fee.' Her eyes lit up. She smiled. Yet, when she talked about Lenny, it was genuine. I reckon she really is worried about him. She's not concerned with whether or not we know of her criminal activities, just that this one time it went wrong and someone she cares about went missing because of that."

"Iris are you getting all of this?" Cisco asked, shifting his gaze towards the ceiling.

There was a crackling sound over the speakers before Iris's voice, hushed, came over the line. "Yeah, I've gotten every word," she replied. Lisa lifted an eyebrow, almost looking impressed. Almost. The sound of keyboard strokes and clicking filled the air. "I've been looking for any mention of the Snarts, and Mick lately and it matches up. The Central City Race Track, the other night at the speed races, spotted around the areas of reported vehicle thefts, sights of robberies, it all lines up."

"But you weren't with Mick when you were at the speed races," Barry pointed out. "Who was that? We know it's a meta; Shadow Thief. But, who is he?"

"Someone who needed help just as much as I did," Lisa replied. She bowed her head. "Whatever daddy wants, daddy gets."

"Excuse me?" Barry asked.

"Hold the phone," Cisco said, lifting his hand in the air.

"Your dad has something to do with this?" Caitlin asked. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"We're not all proud of who our fathers are," Lisa said. "My father is…well, he's just a bad man."

"So then Snart wasn't kidnapped, he willingly went with your father," Barry said, crossing his arms over his chest.

" _No_ ," Lisa insisted, "he wouldn't do that. I know Lenny. He hates the guy as much as I do. There's no way he would willingly go work with my father." She looked around for anyone to try and back her up. Her shoulders dropped. "Look, this guy I was with, he let me know under no uncertain terms that he's been assigned by my dad to make sure to carry out his orders. I don't know who he is; I just know he's a metahuman."

"That's funny," Cisco commented, stepping around the Cortex to get to his computer, "Snarts never seemed to be one to ask metas for help in their criminal work. I thought you all liked doing things on your own."

"Yeah, but they know when to use them to their advantage," Barry said with a long sigh, "just like how Snart got me to owe him a favor." He moved rub the back of his head, Barry's usual sign of discomfort, but stopped and instead started stretching his legs. Lisa smiled proudly.

Tucking his hair behind his ears, Cisco signed in and accessed the police department's database, bringing up the mugshot and rap sheet of the patriarch of the Snart family. "Lewis Snart," he read aloud, projecting the screen onto the monitors mounted on the walls, "convicted of assault, assault with a deadly weapon, larceny, grand theft auto, my, my, it's quite the shopping list." He continued to read. "Trespassing, destruction of property, illegal gambling, chi—" He stumbled over the words _child endangerment, child neglect,_ and _domestic violence_. He scrolled back up the page. He briefly pulled his gaze from the computer screen to Lisa's probing gaze, and fingers doing quick work, he removed the mug shot from the all of the screens except his own.

"Here's the most recent article mentioning Lewis Snart. 'The Central City Police Department says Lewis Snart is wanted in connection to a string of crimes over the past two months,'" Iris read aloud, "'arrest warrants have been issued for crimes committed in the surrounding counties consisting of armed robbery, thefts, coercion, transferring and receiving stolen items' this was just from a couple years ago. There's a lot more articles mentioning him and the suspicion of him in connection to a pattern of incidents as of late. I can go through it, try and find a pattern, maybe I can take all of the locations and triangulate an area he may be hiding out or show up next at."

"That's a great idea…Mis West," Barry said, awkwardly saluting the air. "Thank you for all of your help."

"Sure thing, Flash." There was a _click_ sound as the line was disconnected.

"I'm going to run some tests on your head," Caitlin said, regarding Lisa with a frown. "Your black out and resulting memory loss has me concerned. I'll call you when I'm ready." She turned and took a couple steps towards the medical bay before turning back towards Lisa. "And _don't_ touch _anything_." Lisa made a show of holding her hands up in the air, wiggling her fingers. "Good."

"I'll set up a satellite scan for anything sub-thermal," Cisco said, closing the window with Lewis's crime report. "The second the temperature drops, we'll know where Captain Cold is. Maybe we can intercept him from your dad, ask him what's going on."

"Good luck," Lisa said, "once our dad has his eye on us, it stays there. He was a bit of a hard ass growing up."

Barry cleared his throat, bringing more of a deep, in charge, bravado to his tone of voice. "You have nothing to worry about, Lisa," he said, "we'll get to the bottom of this." He stepped towards the door. "I'll take a few laps around the city," he declared, "see if I can get an idea of where Lenny might be. Get confirmation on all of this." His final words were barely heard as he zipped out of the room.

"I also notice you don't have your Gold Gun on you," Cisco said. Lisa shrugged. "I'll start inputting information into the system to start a satellite scan on any, um, gold signatures I guess." He pulled himself into a standing position, massaging his lower back with his fingertips. Then, he noticed Averey and reacted with a start. "Oh, Averey. You can um…"

He drew a blank. He created everything to help make each metahuman encounter a tad bit easier to solve. Involving Joe and both Barry and his connections to the CCPD allowed them access to background information on the metahumans that blew into their lives. Caitlin covered every aspect of medical maladies, marvels, and mysteries. Iris's access to information at the newspaper not only kept a pulse on what the city was thinking and saying in regard to said metahuman attacks and was a different area to gather information. And Barry was the Flash. Team Flash had expanded slightly, but at the very center was S.T.A.R. Labs and Averey, Cisco quickly realized, didn't have an area of expertise that really helped. (He did remind himself that she did keep track of everything regarding the metahuman database; which she had updated the entry for Lisa the second they had set foot in S.T.A.R. Labs.)

But out on the battle field, she aided Barry in ways that neither he or Caitlin could handle while sitting behind microphones. Barry could always use his speed to his advantage, but Averey had the studied techniques to back her up whenever she chose to fight close-range. Utilizing her boomerangs gave her the chance to use her telescopic vision to really get an idea of the fighting style of her opponent, seeing even the smallest movements. Even just now, she was able to read micro-expressions that others would not have picked up on.

 _Better her than me_ , Cisco thought to himself, licking his lips. _How would I help in a fight?_

"I have an idea," Averey said, getting to her feet. Her arms still crossed over her chest. "We have a meta downstairs that can read memories. At least, he could before he burned his hands. I'm not sure how much he can see now, but it would be more reliable than a lie detector test."

"You want to talk to Gavin?" Cisco asked. He searched her face for any kind of emotion but found nothing. Gavin Turner was the reason behind a lot in her life, most recently house arrest and probation. She hadn't explained to anyone why she had saved him, but still harbored anger and bitterness in her tone whenever she brought him up; which was only once in recent memory. "Are you sure about that?"

"Mate, you got any better ideas?"

He didn't. Honestly, it wasn't a bad idea at all. "I don't," he admitted. Cisco glanced at Lisa before stepping closer to Averey, lowering his voice. "It's just that it's Gavin." Averey lifted her eyebrows in a "Yeah, so?" kind of way. "You haven't told me a lot about _everything_ , but you did tell me a little before; what you were thinking, what you were feeling. If you ever want to tell me more, I'll listen. Ok?"

Stepping past him and making a beeline for the elevators, Averey smiled in thanks.

"I'm jealous," Lisa announced as soon as Averey was out of the room. Cisco snorted, turning on his heels to make his way to his office. "I always said smart was sexy. I just hoped I'd be the only one to see that."

"You can flatter me all you want," Cisco said (and a sudden rush of _Please do_ , thoughts crammed into his head), "but that doesn't change what you did to me or my brother. I won't forget that."

"And you have every right not to," Lisa said, following him. She grabbed him by the wrist and Cisco stopped in his tracks. Turning his hand over, Lisa traced the white scars on the underside of his wrist. He swallowed, slowly breathing in and out through his nose. "I really am glad to hear that your brother is doing ok."

"Yeah, well," Cisco pulled his wrist from Lisa. Shoving his hand deep into his pocket, he rubbed at his arm with his free hand, trying to massage away the tingling that shot up his arm. "Let's hope your brother is ok, too." He looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry about, well, you know. No one deserves that. At all."

Lisa bit down on her lip. "Thanks for not saying anything about that," Lisa said. "It's sort of a touchy subject." She hesitated before lifting her hand and grasped her shirt collar, pulling it to the side, revealing a jagged scar jutting out from her collar bone. "Emphasis on the touchy, I guess." Cisco grimaced and with a sigh, she dropped her hand. "It's not going to be easy to find my dad you know. The best person to pull off a job and disappear is a former cop."

Cisco slowly nodded, turning on his heels to continue making his way to his office. With his hand, he motioned for her to follow him. His family wasn't perfect, and he had less than stellar thoughts about his absent-from-time-to-time dad, but he couldn't fathom the idea of any parent laying their hands on their kids. There could be a lot of yelling in his household, but no one ever caused that kind of distress.

Instead he said, "of course he's a cop." Flipping on the lights in his office, he lowered himself into a chair, using his feet to spin himself around to face Lisa who chose to lean in the doorway.

"He wasn't for long," she explained, looking around the room. "Not for a long time, anyway. He was put on disability for a while; result of alcoholism. He didn't like that so much, and he disliked it even more when my mom got on his case about it." Lisa let out an odd laugh. "He tried passing it off as teaching us how to be strong, how we could accept what life gave could give us, or we could just take it. We don't talk back. Not to him or to anyone else. And we definitely don't let people push us around. Which is funny because we let him do that to us all the time. God forbid if we ever dared to cry about it."

Lisa's shoulders lifted, and her eyes fell shut as she took in a deep breath of air, releasing it all in a long sigh. "Lenny did whatever he could to protect me. He was the one that taught me how to take care of myself when he couldn't be there. He intercepted dad a lot, but he couldn't take me with him when he was old enough to move out. I used to wonder how he could have left me behind with someone like my dad, but deep down I knew I factored into his plan. Somehow. Even if I didn't see it."

"While he was gone, I wanted to prove to him that I was worthy—I guess—of joining him. Of not being left behind ever again. I think that hurt Lenny more than anything else. That despite everything that happened, despite him protecting me, I still ended up the way I did. I could get whatever I wanted just by fluttering my eyelashes and telling men what they wanted to hear."

Cisco shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "And I was one of the suckers that fell for it," he said. "Because Snart knew I worked with the Flash."

"And because Lenny knows a strong sibling bond when he sees one," Lisa said. Cisco let out a loud "Ha!" and she smiled. "I'm being serious. It's why he gave you the chance to help Dante. To protect him. I wasn't going to hurt him, you know, your brother?" Cisco tilted his head to the side. "Lenny and I have stuck together, never did anything to hurt each other, I wouldn't do that to you."

"Lenny didn't seem to get that message."

"I know he's an ass, but he's the only family I have left, ok?" She pushed herself off the doorjamb and stepped further into the room. "If my brother _really_ wanted to hurt you, or Dante, he would have killed him. He made sure Dante had the chance to recover and he didn't have to do that. Because if there's one thing in this life Lenny respects, and trust me there's not a lot, it's the sibling bond." She tilted her head to the side. "And you've got that in spades around here."

Cisco stared at her, mouth suddenly going dry. "I don't know what you mean," he said.

"I may have been a blonde when you met me, but I'm not actually dumb," she said.

"You posed as someone attending Mercury Labs' annual symposium," Cisco pointed out to her, "I never thought you were dumb."

"A compliment like that goes a long way." Lisa's gaze dropped to her shoes for a brief moment. "I've followed in my brother's footsteps, I know how to, stop, look, and listen." She slowly smiled in the wake of Cisco's silence. She winked. "Don't worry, Cisco. Girls are excellent secret keepers."

Leaning forward, Cisco buried his face into his hands, elbows pressed into his thighs. Groaning, he pushed his hands up over his face, and smoothed down the top of his head. Settling back in his chair, he locked his fingers behind his head.

"Dante is recovering but things are still really hard for him," Cisco said. If Lisa could be truthful with him on such a dark topic, he could reciprocate the notion. "His fingers are great, he can still work piano keys like nobody's business. I've built and adjusted braces for his knees, trying to bring him as much comfort as possible, but even that's not enough. Seeing him struggle, when he's never had a rough time in his life, ever it's just…"

Cisco shook his head back and forth, his words dying on his lips. "If I can't even help my brother," he said, "how can I help anyone else in this city?" Lisa's lips parted before she closed them again. "Not just me. I've been following physical therapy plans, getting second opinions from doctors, and I don't think it's making any difference. I see he's struggling, but I don't know how to fix it. I don't know how to make things less stressful and when we're both stressed, we fight. And we fight a lot."

Lisa gave a wry smile. "Call me crazy," she said, "but isn't that what brothers are supposed to do? Fight?"

Cisco found himself returning her smile with one of his own. He folded his hands on his stomach, using his toes to push his chair back and forth. "It's just complicated," he said, "that's all. But, what family isn't right?" Whether he was referring to his own family, or his Team Flash family, at the moment he wasn't too sure. It was all becoming too convoluted.

Armando was getting an education in the field to help recover from injuries. Sports injuries, sure, but physical therapy was a main component of it. Caitlin was one of the brightest minds he had ever met outside of Dr. Wells. Together, they were proving that the impossible could be achieved every single day.

If the two of them couldn't help him figure out how to help Dante, _one person,_ how could he be expected to personally help the masses? He was always the outside looking in, type. Everything was fun and games, and creating toys in the safety of , and how to use it to fight alongside Barry if he couldn't do his duty as a brother to step up and protect his own?

..

Averey could remember how bright the lights in her Pipeline pod were upon waking the day after she was forced inside. How the stiff padded walls pressed into her shoulder blades, the back of her head, and her bottom as she spent hours staring out into the furthest corner of the Pipeline she could see. Even now, what stood out the most, despite the gravity of the situation that put herself in another jail cell, was how comfortable she had found herself in the 8x8 room.

And just how comfortable Gavin Turner looked as he sat with his back to the outward-leaning walls. Legs stick straight, stopping himself from sliding to the floor, he barely moved when the pod clicked itself into place at the opening to the Pipeline. His hair was longer, stubble dotted his chin and upper lip, but he still held the same calculated look that Averey had always seen in his eyes, the same look he was giving her now.

Silence. And then…

"It's not lunch time," Gavin said. He set his gaze back on the padded wall in front of him. Lifting his hands, he picked at the skin on one palm. "And it's not time for Dr. Snow to look at my hands. I already had a bathroom break, recess isn't for another two hours, and movie night isn't for another couple of days. So…" He pulled his mouth to one side. "You need something." He slowly turned his head to look at her and his smile widened. "And you hate that I'm the one that you have to go to, to get it." Averey sucked her upper lip into her mouth, dragging her tongue over the skin.

He was right of course. He was always right. She'd rather go to Reverse-Flash and ask him to speed pluck her eyeballs out of her head than to ask Gavin for help. And it annoyed her even more that it was evident without the use of his abilities to see it.

If Cisco were to give him a nickname, Averey would have thrown the name "Data Miner" into the ring. With a simple touch, he could gain access to anyone's thoughts, feelings, and memories. Touching an inanimate object, or a body part, and Gavin could know what you were thinking and feeling in that moment, and what led up to it; everything to successfully get whatever he wanted from a person, whenever he wanted it. He didn't need to do that to her anymore. Everything she thought about him she was sure was evident on her face.

"Here's what's going to happen—"

"You know, sooner or later, I'm going to ask for a return payment of some sort," Gavin continued, lacing his fingers together. "A place to live, my hands, they all cost something."

"I'm going to ask you to do something for me, you're going to do it."

Gavin merely laughed. "What is it you want me to do?" he asked.

"We need you to help us prove whether or not the story someone is telling us is true," Averey explained. "Someone that knows how to talk their way through things and would for sure pass a polygraph test should we give her one."

"I wasn't aware S.T.A.R. Labs was actually trying to operate legally now," Gavin said with a snort. "Or are you giving them tips on how the jailing process should actually go since you're such an expert on it?"

Once again, he was right. The Pipeline was a private prison. There was no booking process, no trial, no bail, or anything like that. Metahumans were different, not even the real court systems entirely knew how to handle them. She was living proof to an extent. The Metahuman Wing at Iron Heights was a step-up in recognizing that times were changing. Prison reform was still a slow changing process, however.

But if Belle Reve was to have any connection to Iron Heights at all, it was probably better, she surmised, that he was in here.

"Are you done?" Averey reached over to the touch screen control system. Starting from one corner of the pictured door, she dragged her finger in an arc to the other side. With a tap of her finger, the pod doors _hissed_ and opened. Pressing her fingers into a wall panel, it clicked open and Averey pulled out a set of power dampening cuffs. "Hands."

"Can't get much out of these anymore." Gavin splayed his hands towards her and Averey looked down at his burn scarred hands. His palm lines were almost non-existent, the skin on his wrists a marble of tanned, white, and light pink skin. "Thanks to you."

Avery silently slapped the handcuffs down around his wrists, and then drove her fist straight into his stomach. Gavin doubled over in pain, coughing and gasping for air. Grabbing a hold of his shirt collar, she moved her mouth to his ear and said simply, "You're welcome.".

Gavin stumbled into the wall, swinging his hair out of his face. Using his shoulder to wipe the spit that dribbled down his chin, he glared at her. "I've been in there for six months," he said, breathing through clenched teeth, "six months of Big Belly Burger, six months of the crappy movies Cisco thinks are classics, and I've endured it all. We both know it's a step up from being in Iron Heights, especially with that new expansion, and the only thing I've wondered is why you allowed me to experience it."

Averey stared at him, eyebrows lowering.

"Your buddy Cisco was nice enough to let me read the paper every day," Gavin said with a sneer. Leaning against the wall, he pushed himself into a standing position. "No mention of Visionary, not that I'm surprised. Or is that it?" He titled is head to the side, the twist of his face relaxing into a smile. "You were worried that I'd talk. That for a second time, you would land behind bars, because you got played."

"I wanted you to have a front seat to watching me beat you," Averey replied, stepping closer to him. She breathed steadily in and out through her nose. "Watching me win." Gavin's eyes narrowed. "Watching me go through the rest of my probation and take down everyone that ever had a hand in turning my life into crap!" She watched Gavin's lips twitch, his eyes shift back and forth between each of her own. A muscle start to throb in his neck. She had his attention.

"I remember everything, Gavin. I remember everything that was done to me at Belle Reve. What you did to me at the house to keep me in line. Everything I've done. Every word you've said. I would like nothing more than to see it all go down, and for you to witness it all before I come for you."

Gavin swung his hair out of his face. "You think you won't just do to your friends like you've done to us?" he asked. "Throw them under the bus? Just look at what you did to Cisco." Averey pressed her lips together. "You think you're so much better than the rest of us. That you're so innocent and didn't have a hand in anything that we've done. You're just as conniving, just as calculated, just as manipulative." Her lips started to hurt, they started to shake. Averey's nostrils flared with each breath. "Just because you're working so hard to get on the hero's path doesn't mean you won't leave collateral damage in your wake. Damage people won't ever let you forget."

Caitlin's words slammed back into her head. So hard, a projection of Caitlin appeared in front of her, overlaying Gavin who leaned against the wall, watching her closely. Both sets of eyes probed her, picked her apart. " _I'm just stating facts. I'm sorry, but I don't understand why we should believe you. You and your brother are_ criminals. _Your whole family is, there's no changing that_."

Averey squeezed her eyes shut. She shook her head. No, they were her friends. They knew of her criminal past. They rooted for her throughout her house arrest, and now while on probation. But they wouldn't forget. They could see everything she'd ever do as Visionary, as part of Team Flash, everything she ever wanted to accomplish in her life, and it would pale in comparison to the realization that she had committed crimes.

 _"No, no, no," Dr. Wells shook his head back and forth, removing the glasses from his face. He tapped the temple of his glasses against his lip before setting them down in his lap. Placing a tight-lipped smile on his face, he folded his hands in his lap. "You see, with this group, this gang…you'll be in it longer than you know. Longer than you want. Your future is with them because with people like them, it is hard to leave."_

"No." Averey spoke out loud, the punctuation bouncing around the curved walls. "No, no, no. I won't. You'll see. You'll all see. I can change it. I can change all of this." Her eyes burst open, glowing a brilliant purple before a blast of light shot out of her eyes. When it collided with the piping and wiring on the wall, a loud _pop_ sounded before a shower of sparks rained down, extinguishing as it hit the floor. Averey groaned, rubbing at her eyes with the heels of her palms as they started to burn. "You've already screwed up my past, I won't let you bloody touch my future!"

Averey grabbed onto Gavin's elbow, pulling him off the wall. As she marched him through S.T.A.R. Labs, she realized that she was no longer just talking to Gavin. She wasn't just talking to Dr. Wells. She was talking to herself. What she was adamant was her former self. The side of her that had learned from the gang and used its teachings to her advantage. The part of her that knew just how much of a probation violation this moment was.

She was only pulled out of her thoughts when Gavin said to her, "By the way, if you really want to take down Belle Reve, you should start with talking to the Thawnes. After all, they're one of the biggest backers behind Iron Heights's new Meta-Wing, right?" Averey stopped walking and stared at him, needing to remind herself that he was able to keep up with the daily news. But Averey could see in Gavin's slow, smug smile, in the crease of his smile line, in the way his upper eyes lids lifted a fraction of an inch, that there was more information than he was letting on.

* * *

 **A/N:** This chapter changed from what I had originally planned it out to be, but I also think it's better this way, too. Cisco and Lisa I always thought had a really interesting relationship, and I hope I reflected that well here.

Some things I notice I haven't touched on a lot since this story is Iris and Eddie now that Eddie is back, and also Barry and Iris as well, not to mention Jay and Malcolm and Barry and Patty. There's just a lot I need work on balancing more. I also feel from what I had planned with this story to begin with, as I'm nearing chapter 20, I should be further along with my plans (especially in relation to what canon episode I'm on), but at the same time, things do tend to change as I'm writing it. However, I recognize this may have slowed the story so I'm going to focus on picking up the pace more.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Need further explanation on anything? Leave a comment.

-Rhuben

.

 **Review Replies:**

 _Ethan:_ Funnily enough, I haven't thought of what kind of drink Jitters would have for Visionary. Instantly, I'd think something with more caffeine to keep you alert and focused, but the Flash already has that cornered. Thanks for reading.

 _gods-own:_ Oooh, I like your ideas for Earth-2 Averey. What I will say is that in some instances, what you see with the Earth-1 characters does give you a bit of an idea of how they are on Earth-2.


	17. Criminology 101

**A/N:** Due to how long it's been since my last update, I apologize for the wait, here's an extra long chapter for you guys for the first update for this fic in 2019. I hope your holiday season and new year's was great.

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen:** Criminology 101

* * *

Digging his fingers into a S.T.A.R. Laboratories emblazoned rag, Jay smiled to himself.

One completely stabilized breach.

As if it was such a complicated matter it would take a long time for him to complete it. It was as easy as opening one and running through it. Just as easy as it was to take over each city, and universe. He barely had to think about it. With the advanced technology he could retrieve from Earth-2 in a hop, skip, and jump, he would have it completed in no time. Of course, he had to make it look good. Like it was going to take a while even for someone like him. Like he would need help – as if.

Still, he didn't turn anyone away when the help was offered. He wasn't stupid. He needed to keep everyone close.

Cisco was just as much someone to bounce ideas off of as he was a distraction. Being peppered with question after question regarding what was different between his Earth and this one, became such a common occurrence, he had an answer out of his mouth before Cisco could even ask. He couldn't deny that on occasion he would pretend not to know what something was just to Cisco's reaction. The idiot. As if he was _that_ ignorant? Being on "Earth-1" for months on end gave him enough time to learn and adapt to his surroundings. It was just easier when he didn't have to rely so much on other people.

Anyone outside of Malcolm Thawne, that is. No one else could aide in the terror he descended on a city more so than Malcolm could. To think, he was quick to cast him aside his initial offer to help.

He remembered staring down at the city he had conquered when he had felt a rush of heat race up his back. Blue light flickered in the reflection of the dark windows across the street. The people inside were smart not to draw back the curtains, to wonder who or what it was that caused the light. No one dared to venture outside, to even look out a window, after dark.

Slowly, Jay had turned around to face the figure standing behind him.

"I wondered when you would show yourself." Jay had rolled his head on his neck, joints cracking as he did so. "Blue Blaze."

"I've been called worse things." The man's nostrils flared. "A waste of space. An imbecile. Worthless." Gloved hands lifted, reaching for the neck of the white and blue mask pulled tight over his face. With a sigh, the blond-haired man dropped his cowl onto his shoulders. "My name is Malcolm Thawne." He wetted his lips with a quick swipe of his tongue. His lips parted in a short, mocking laugh. "No one would dare call me worthless anymore."

"So, you don't need my help after all. I work with no one," Jay had insisted. His voice was a demonic growl. Black eyes glittering with scrutiny at the gall the navy suited man had used to speak to him without invitation. He turned his back to the suited man and set it on the dark empty streets below him. This Earth was just another world that fell under his regime no matter what the Crimson Comet did. And everyone, including this Malcolm Thawne, would fall at his feet.

Malcolm's eyebrows shifted together slightly. "Who do you think gave you the location of all those metas?"

Jay smiled in amusement, shifting his gaze to the night sky. The fool.

Central City was full of life during the day. People continuing the daily grind at their jobs. Hopeful. Optimistic. They were protected by the Crimson Comet, after all. At night, no one dared to stay out past the extended curfew. He wasn't an idiot. He knew how to watch people, looking for the tell-tale signs of cracks in the masks they put on every day, revealing their true selves. Revealing the meta abilities some desperately wanted to hide. The abilities some had no issue using to their advantage. Still, getting that extra bit of information – a burning message on a billboard, carved into the trunk of a flaming tree – was a big help in tracking down those who wouldn't come quietly, those who tried to flee the city in secret. Why thank someone for that when he could just use it? After all, he was still the one doing all the hard work, he was still the one that had successfully brought the city to its knees.

"You're welcome," Malcolm prompted to his back. "I have given you what you want."

"What I want," Jay repeated. He laughed quietly. Turning away from the building's edge to face Malcolm he said, "is not of your concern. I do not need your help for that." He slowly tilted his head to the side. "What is it that _you_ want?"

"A chance to live," Malcolm replied. "A chance to show that I am not one to cast aside."

"How are you going to do that?"

"I've _been_ doing that," Malcolm corrected him. His lips parted slightly in a smile. "Let's just say you're not the only one whose been responsible for extra police patrols."

Now Jay was intrigued. He looked Malcolm up and down. His physical strength wasn't unnoticeable; shoulders rolled back, he commanded the space he was in. "Who?" Jay asked. He was still in charge of the conversation. He could end it whenever he wanted.

Malcolm's lips parted even more, revealing his teeth in a lazy smile. "My blood line's thinner, both maternal and paternal," he replied. Jay snorted. "And General Eiling." Now Jay was intrigued. A big name like that, it would be all over the news. So how was this the first he's heard anything about it? "Too many experimental procedures. Too little healthcare." He shrugged. "Not enough to help _them_ , anyhow. Wherever they may exist."

Jay's eyes narrowed.

Malcolm smiled. "I know. I know all about you."

"How much?"

"More than you want me to know." Malcolm full on smiled a sinister smile. The whites of his eyes glowed a light blue in the light, irises flickering like fire. "Crimson Comet. Or should I call you _Jay Garrick._ "

Jay scowled. "What do you want?"

"To help." Malcolm took a step closer to Jay. His eyes seemed to light up, two dark flames flicking in excitement. "I already told you."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"And how do you think you can help me?" Malcolm swung his arm out to the side. For a moment Jay watched him stand there. Silently. Like an idiot. Then, seeming to be satisfied with Jay's attention on him, Malcolm tightened his hand into a fist and, muscles flexing, flames licked up his arm until it surrounded his fist. With a flick of his wrist, the flame extended out to the sides, growing longer and longer, until it pointed into a sharp tip, creating a sword. Gripping the sword in both hands, he swung it around and around his head, the flames extending off the blade and enveloping the two of them.

Jay closed his eyes against the sudden rush of heat and flames that exploded in front of him. The blue fire was even visible behind his closed eyes. Wind rushed around him, bringing heat and cold he could feel even in his suit, pulling at him. The roaring stopped and upon his eyes, he found that they were no longer looking down on Central City, but inside a building somewhere.

The first thing he heard was a rhythmic beeping. Followed by the rhythmic sound of what he thought to be was air being sucked out of a small space. Jay followed Malcolm through the darkened hall they were standing in, heading towards a light at the end of the hall. Pushing the door open, Jay stopped in the doorway, briefly taken aback, eyebrows lifted as he gazed upon the body lying on a bed in the center of the room.

Covered in a white sheet, the Malcolm look-alike's eyes were closed, lips closed around a white tube strapped to a machine on one side of the bed. Face pale, occasionally his eyes would shift under his closed eyelids. His fingers would twitch. That was the only movement from the body. Jay stepped over to the man's face and stared down at him before looking over at Malcolm who stood in the doorway.

"How?"

"He came through that hole in the sky," Malcolm replied. "I didn't think a metahuman could survive going through that. I wanted to check him out. Imagine my surprise when I found that he looked like me."

"So?" Jay asked. "Is he a meta or not?"

"No. He's not." Malcolm stepped through the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. It pulled his already taught suit even tighter over his pectorals. "He's something different. I found this." He reached underneath the collar of he unconscious man and pulled out a medallion on a chain. Then Malcolm reached up under his own shirt collar and did the same, revealing the same pendant. "If that is what I think it is, he's more powerful than you think. You see, this medallion runs in my family – _our_ family - and it wields incredibly powerful magic."

Jay snorted.

Magic.

What a foolish thought.

There was no such thing as magic. That fact was certainly beaten out of him years ago. Santa Clause didn't exist. And everyone did not, in fact get a happy ending. It was so silly. So childish. So _pointless_ to believe that something like magic was real. However he couldn't deny that Malcolm may have had a point. Dark matter may have caused the other metahumans to gain abilities, but nothing like that of Malcolm Thawne's. Metahuman or not, Jay had seen incredible things, but nothing like this.

"It's what's keeping him alive. Right now, that's what I need. For if he's alive, he can tell me everything about his life from wherever it is he came. To see if his parents—"

"Nathaniel and Josephine."

Malcolm cut Jay a scathing look. If looks could kill, indeed. " _You_ know them as Nathaniel and Josephine." The hatred wasn't lost on Jay. "They need to put forth the perfect public image, of course. I must applaud them, they certainly do just that." Malcolm chuckled, before staring down at his likeness. His voice grew quiet, harder, colder. "No, I know them by a different moniker. I know them as Hugo and Charlene. Master con artists, thieves, extortionists, experimentalists, conversionists. _Bullies_." He merely spat out the last word. "Wanting you to be who they are and challenging you when you aren't cut out to become them. No matter where I go, they aren't as upstanding as they wish for the people of Keystone City to believe. I have no doubt the parents of this one isn't any different."

"How is this proving you can help me?" The real question was why was Jay entertaining him for so long?

Malcolm tore his gaze from the body and set them on Jay. "You want to be the fastest," he said, "the only speedster around. And I…" He cackled, a wild brightness coming to his eyes. "I want to destroy everyone that did just that to me: destroyed me."

Jay's eyebrows knitted together as he watched Malcolm. He wasn't too sure if he wanted to work with such a drama queen. Or give him even more of his attention.

"Destroyed my self-worth, my being, my trust. Me. I don't exist here, not that any of them seem to be upset about that." Jay wouldn't be surprised if Malcolm spat on the body in front of him in the next moment. "Where I'm from, Hugo and Charlene, they already had everything they ever wanted, and I – I wanted to prove to them how wrong they were. To prove to them that I _could_ wield the Blue Flame." He opened his arms, bending forward in a slight bow. "And I have. I have far extensive abilities than they ever believed I could possess. And I'll make sure they all bear witness to it. All of them." Malcolm rolled his head on his neck, cracking his joints with ease. "Eiling wanted a human test subject, and now I can test him on the subject of humanities."

"Cute," Jay said, flatly.

"We both get what we want," Malcolm hiked an eyebrow, "I can rid myself of every iteration of those who spent years poking me, and prodding me, casting me aside like I was nothing. As for you…" He slowly smiled. "I could go after those who thought electroshock therapy was to be of use. Luckily, I was never subjected to anything like that, but…"

"No."

"You can still prove that you are the fastest. Fast enough to escape your dad's words, his fists. His explosive anger." Jay surged forward, pinning Malcolm against the wall with his fist. Lips quivering, teeth clenched, he snarled in Malcolm's unwavering face. Talk about explosive anger. "Fast enough to run away. As far away as possible. Or, better yet, fast enough to save your mother– ack!"

Jay dug his fingers deeper into Malcolm's throat. Fingers curling, his knuckles cracked, his fingernails tightly gripping the skin beneath his fingers. Lips quivering, Malcolm stared back at him. Jay wasn't sure if he was attempting a smiled or allowing a little bit of fear to slip through.

"Never," Jay hissed, "talk about my mother again."

To his credit, Malcolm followed his order. He had never brought up the subject again. He certainly was as intelligent as he seemed to think he was. Things between them had been going smoothly so far on this new Earth. Malcolm got his assignments, executed them well, and reported back in a timely fashion. If he _had_ to have a partner in all of this, there wasn't anyone better unless he figured out how to clone himself. With the exception of any other iteration of himself he could find on other Earths. What were the odds that they would be just as blood thirsty as him?

Caitlin Snow on the other hand. Jay's movements slowed, and he took the extra care to get the dirt and oil off of his fingers. Just like she always took the time to care for anything she set her attention on. There was something different about her. Something that made him stop and pay attention. She was so caring that it was almost nurturing. Almost motherly.

No.

Jay knocked the ridiculous notion from his head with a sharp shake. No, nope, no way. He couldn't lose focus. Barry Allen was the one true target. He could not lose sight of that. Everyone was going to watch and see the supposed fastest man alive fall. Preferably on his face. People were going to want to see it; the great Scarlett Speedster running on empty.

Dirty rag tossed onto the cart filled with tools and machine parts, he reached for the tablet perched among the clutter. Turning it on, he was immediately welcomed with a picture of the Cortex. His eyes swept past Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin, and instantly landed on Lisa Snart.

She stood by herself, facing the semi-circle that "Team Flash" (he couldn't believe they actually called themselves that) created, facing her. Opposing her. Interesting. It wasn't a sight he was used to seeing. Lisa Snart, on this Earth, was clearly not someone in a position to not be respected. Even Averey, who walked into frame, hand clasped around the elbow of an unrecognizable man (all of his research and time spent watching her and he never turned up, now it was obvious as to why), stood apart from her. That was a twist. Definitely something worth investigating in person.

Setting the tablet down, Jay made his way back up to the upper levels of S.T.A.R. Labs, stepping into the Cortex. "I got everything downstairs finished," Jay said, choosing his words carefully. He pulled his eyebrows towards each other in as convincing confused look as he could. "What's going on?"

"Hey, Jay, uh," Barry turned towards him, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. He was no longer in his suit – Lisa Snart must know of his identity. But in that short amount of time? "We're just trying to verify Lisa's story." Jay kept his eyes on Lisa as Barry explained everything to him that he had missed.

"Why don't you just give Lisa a lie detector test?" Jay asked. No one batted an eyelash. Just Lisa. Very interesting. "That's what you did when I arrived."

"Because she'd pass it," Averey instantly replied.

Jay listened as she quickly gave a rundown of what she had been able to pick up due to her abilities. Jay was almost impressed. But she wasn't the only one who could pick things out about people others wouldn't notice. It was too dangerous not to. Everyone had two sides to themselves, and it was always only a matter of time until they showed that side. To become a monster. Someone that was completely unrecognizable.

"Gavin will be able to tell us whether her story is true, yeah?" Averey pushed the man forward, and he stumbled forward a few steps. She turned towards Jay. "The bloke can, essentially, collect memories from anyone he touches."

"Hey, genius," Gavin said, upper lip curling, "I can't do much without my hands." He splayed his fingers, wiggling, holding his hands up in front of him, shaking them from side to side. Whether the genius remark was directed to the actual intellectuals in the room, or to Averey, Jay wasn't sure. Judging by Gavin's face, the questionable doubt was meant to be there.

"Chill," Cisco said, stepping over to Gavin. He quickly rid Gavin of his handcuffs. "Go on, work your magic. Just don't get too handsy."

"It's nice to know you care, Cisco," Lisa said with a smooth smile, "but I can assure you, I know how to handle men like him." Gavin rolled his eyes, lifting his hand to his mouth to bite at a loose piece of skin.

Jay fought the urge to roll his eyes. This was so stupid. Either you trusted someone, or you didn't. It was as simple as that. If it were up to him, he would just obliterate them all. Patience was something he had little of as a speedster, or even any normal person.

"Go on," Barry prompted Gavin.

Lifting an eyebrow, Gavin made a show of spitting the piece of skin clenched between his teeth to the floor. He then grabbed onto Lisa's wrist and instantly stiffened. A sharp breath of air was sucked through his nose. His eyes widened. Glowed a brilliant white. Eyelids fluttered and closed. His eyebrows angled towards each other and he frowned deeply before suddenly grabbing Lisa's hair, forcing her head down. Caitlin gasped at the sudden harsh movement.

"Hey, hey," Cisco protested, "not cool, bro."

Gavin ignored him. "Come here," he commanded to Averey. "Come look at this. All of you."

Lisa turned her head to the side, fixing Gavin with a smile. One masked with a steely gaze in her eye. Just like the Lisa Snart Jay knew, she was certainly not one who was going to just let anyone have their way with her. No, she would quickly remind Gavin who was boss if and when the situation came down to it. "It's ok, Cisco," she said smoothly, "I grew up with a brother, I know how to play rough. Just don't start crying when I break your wrist. It's the least I could do."

"I don't doubt it."

Jay found himself stepping closer to Lisa. Towering over the rest of the group, he was able to see over the backs of their heads and spotted an ugly looking scar on the back of her neck. Jagged and red, it raised off the back of her neck. It was starting to heal despite the light purple bruising around the area, dotted with what looked like puncture marks. Four of them.

"Look familiar?" Gavin asked, eyes still on Averey. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her forward, closer to Lisa. Jaw clenching, Averey ripped his hand away from her. Gavin lifted an eyebrow, looking amused. "Always on the offensive, aren't you?"

"Don't take it personal," Averey replied in the same tone of voice.

"Mmm." Gavin released Lisa. "So you did learn something from us." He squinted. "I'm wondering how much. How much you remember. Then again, you weren't always smart, were you?"

"Shut up!" Barry, Cisco, and Averey spoke their command at the same time. There was a brief moment of silence as they regarded each other. In the silence, Caitlin gently pushed Gavin out of the way to get a closer look at Lisa's injury.

Jay chuckled to himself. It was almost… _cute_ how they stood up for each other. They were all idiots. Even the tallest standing man could be cut down. Did they forget that they had just spent the past six months apart? Because Barry Allen didn't want to be part of a team anymore? Because he knew life was better off on your own? No one to trust but yourself. No one to take care of you but yourself. Feelings were too involved. Too…too much. Too messy. Because anyone could use your feelings against you.

"Well?" Barry asked. "Is what she's saying true or not?"

"Oh, it's true," Gavin replied, "the race track, stealing the car, being abducted. All of it." He peered curiously at her. "Even the large gap in her memory. One minute she's at the track, the next she's lying in the middle of the street."

"And alcohol wasn't involved, unfortunately," Lisa commented, wrenching herself free from Gavin's grasp. She eyed him coolly, adjusting the sleeves of her jean jacket. "From my experience, it's usually an ingredient for the most fun of nights. If not the most important one."

"Either way, you were still drugged. I could see something else," Gavin said with a frown. Briefly, so briefly Jay almost didn't see it, "A dark room, men standing in the shadows, bright lights, an IV drip." He shook his head. "I feel weighed down." He put his hand to his chest. "Like a cloud was actually pushing on my chest."

"Clouds can actually get up one million pounds," Jay explained. "Air is denser. It's part of the reason why clouds don't fall out of the sky." He rubbed is chin. "Sounds to me like you managed to wake up at some point during your operation. Whatever drug they gave you, causing weakened or relaxed muscles, unconsciousness, gaps in memory, they clearly wanted it to emulate being under general anesthesia and nothing else."

"But, why would anyone need to operate on her?" Cisco asked. "I mean, anesthesia isn't usually admitted into the back of the neck. And it wouldn't involve needing to cut her open."

"No," Gavin agreed with a nod, "but Memorarium usually is. It's the fastest link to the hippocampus and temporal lobe." He snorted, rolling his eyes when everyone stared at him. "I worked for Belle Reve, remember? I can understand medical terms."

"Guys, we've seen this before," Barry said. "Sand Demon had a tracker implanted in him. Whose to say that this isn't another part of Zoom's plan? Whatever his plan is?"

 _Oh, if only you were smart enough to even deduce my plan._ Jay thought to himself. This was almost moving too slow, even for him. How anybody in this room had been given top awards in their field was beyond him. How the hell were they employed at S.T.A.R. Labs?

Lisa let out a loud sigh of frustration. "Because no matter what, my dad wouldn't ever let someone else be the boss," she explained. "Ok? He is _always_ the one in charge. And he will _always_ make sure you do his bidding."

"Be that as it may, I still need to run tests on you, Lisa, so we should get started on that right away," Caitlin said. Despite Lisa's shifting of her cool gaze to Caitlin, she allowed the scientist to gently take her arm. "I think an X-Ray or two is in order as well."

"Ok, you," Averey said. She snapped her fingers and held her outstretched palm towards Cisco. He slapped the cuffs into her hand. "Back in the Pipeline, yeah?" Jay watched as she used her free hand to smooth the hair that covered the back of her neck. "We wanted to verify Snart's story, you did that, favor done." She looked at the group over her shoulder. "I have to go meet Iris soon, anyway."

"Is it done?" Gavin asked when Averey put her attention back on him. "The favor?" Still, he lifted his hands and allowed himself to be cuffed and guided out of the room. "You all know where to find me if you need me again. I suspect one day you will."

"Yeah, yeah, just keep walking, pal," Cisco called to his back. Shaking his head, he lifted his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "All these problems. Remember when they were nice and showed up at different times instead of _all at once?_ " He sighed and then turned towards Jay. "Speaking of which, Jay, did you want to show me the breach?"

"Yeah, I'll come too," Barry said.

"I'm sure Professor Stein would want to witness this himself at the same time everybody else does." Barry shook his head and Jay forced a smile of amusement to his face. "Considering your abilities, and the lack of mine, we have all the time in the world. Plus, shouldn't you be getting to work?"

Barry let out a loud gasp. HIs eyes flew open, and he scrambled for his phone, nearly dropping it. "Oh, oh man," he said. "I've missed _so many_ calls from Captain Singh. And Joe, apparently. Yeah, I've got to go." His thumbs flew over the face of his phone. He recoiled, face contorting in a look of alarm. "Apparently, a headless man was found by the water front."

"And it just keeps on coming," Cisco said, throwing his hands into the air. He pushed his hair back behind his ears. "Bet you can't wait to get back to your Earth, right? Zoom is just one issue compared to all of this."

Jay let out a laugh. _One issue? Yeah, right. Try_ the _issue._ He clearly had no idea what they were up against. None of them did. "It appears that Zoom may have some connection to this," he said, "and defeating Zoom is my top priority. I'll stay here as long as he's going after Barry."

"Ok," Cisco replied, "but I hope you know what you're getting into. The Snarts are one thing. With Zoom, it'll be a whole other thing entirely. The Snarts aren't known to play nice with the other kids if you know what I'm saying. Not unless they can get something out of it."

"What does that mean?" Jay asked.

"Don't be surprised, sooner or later, to find someone with an ice pick through their skull." Cisco put a hand on his chest, massaging slow circles into his skin. He grimaced. "Probably better than a hand through your chest."

Jay hummed. Now _there_ was an idea.

* * *

Malcolm stepped through the doors of Central City Picture News. His eyes darted from person to person, from desk to desk, in search of Iris. The corner of his lips pulled down in the corners as he took in the bustling atmosphere of the building. He was almost impressed. It wasn't like how things were on his Earth, but still, it seemed like no matter what, Iris West would be able to provide for herself.

"Can I help you with something?"

Malcolm sucked in a breath through his nose before slowly rolling his head on his neck to face the woman who addressed him. The woman's eyes widened, and her short bob of a hair cut flew around her face as she looked back and forth from the back of the building to Eddie.

"Oh," she said, "oh right. Eddie. Um…" Fingernails tapping against the mug she held tightly in her hands – due to surprise of recognizing him or her desperate need for caffeine he wasn't sure – she tightly pressed her lips together. "Iris is…I was just going to find her, actually." She removed a hand from her mug and held it out to him.

Malcolm's eyebrows pulled towards each other. Still, he placed his palm into her (very uncomfortably warm) hand and shook it. She managed to get out a "Linda. Park," as he started to wonder if she was supposed to be someone he recognized. Or rather, someone _Eddie_ recognized. Her stumbling over her words was a clue. Then again, not many people were actually in the company of someone that came back from the dead.

"We went on a double date last year. Well, not us, but you know. You and Iris. Me and Barry."

His eyebrows rose. His lips twitched. Interesting. Very interesting. Dr Light, she was not, that much was clear. But, maybe, she would be of some use to Jay. All his time working his reconnaissance assignments, and _this_ Linda Park was not someone he would have given a second thought.

Linda took in a breath of air, once again tightly clutching the mug in her hands. "She's back in the archives, I'll show you." Tilting her head to the side, Linda motioned for Malcolm to follow her. Sliding his hands into the pockets of his sport coat, he followed Linda past cluttered desks, through a door marked Editorial Department, and through the back halls of the building until they came upon a door marked CCPN ARCHIVES. Linda knocked on the door twice before entering the room upon Iris's "Come in."

Malcolm's eyes first swept over the shelves lining the walls stuffed with colorful folders. Mobile stacks were pushed back and nestled into the walls. Malcolm briefly wondered why the room was even painted a CCPN red color to match the red and white of the building theme when it would just be covered by the gray shelves. In the center of the room was a large square table, covered in stacks and stacks of folders, printed pages, and newspapers that Iris was currently shifting and moving to organized piles.

"Hey," she said, distractedly. Huffing, Iris repeatedly brushed her hair back behind her ears, growing more and more frustrated when the locks would just slip back out. "I almost have this all together, Ave, just give me a minute." Planting her hands on the table, she looked up at Linda and Malcolm, regarding them with a frown. "Oh. Hi."

"Hi," Linda said, stepping further into the room. "I was just looking for you when Eddie walked in. Um." She looked back over at Malcolm over her shoulder. "I will leave you two alone in a minute, I just wanted to pass along the good news."

Iris's frown disappeared into a hopeful smile. "Mr. Larkin approved the article?" she asked, clasping her hands over her mouth.

Linda nodded. "Yes," she agreed, and Iris let out a small squeal, lifting onto the balls of her feet to start bouncing. "Soon, you'll be joining Leighton Michaels on the streets, looking to crack down on this real estate scandal in Central City." Her hand dropped down to her side. "Which is a great topic choice considering how people are trying to get back on their feet after what happened with the singularity. You know, there are still so many people living in hotels looking for a place to start over?"

"I know, this is _exactly_ why we need to crack this story wide open," Iris agreed. Her excitement faded slightly. "But I thought I could work on this on my own."

"It won't hurt to have some back up. Someone to bounce ideas off of, an article as big as this," Linda gently suggested. "The first few chances I had to conduct interviews: coaches, team owners, players, I had another person there to bounce questions off of, tips on how to have the interviewee keep the conversation going. All of that. It's just to make sure you're ready before handling the real tough stuff."

"Yeah, that..." Iris nodded her head, "that makes a lot of sense, actually."

"Sooo, I'll just leave you guys to talk," Linda said, starting to take large steps backwards. "Congratulations, again. You're really starting to hit your stride here." She pointed a finger at Iris. "We still need to hit up that bar."

Iris's gaze shifted over towards Malcolm for a fraction of a second before they settled back on Linda. "We definitely do," she replied with a smile.

Malcolm waited for the door to close behind Linda to speak, and still he found the two of them standing in silence. Iris went back to what she was doing. "You thought I was Averey?"

"She asked me to go through the archives to get everything I could find on General Eiling and Iron Heights," Iris explained, clearing her throat. "I texted her to let her know what I was able to get."

"Oh."

Malcolm smiled inwardly. He barely even had to try. Just ask a few questions here or there and he would get the information he didn't even know he wanted. So, they were looking into Eiling? And Iron Heights? What exactly for? Eiling was smart. Keeping an operation like hunting metahumans for experiments under wraps for so long and setting up all the clearances others had to go through to even start getting "need to know" information was child's play for him. He was a freaking General in the Army. Whatever the plan was with all of this information, it wasn't going to work.

Still, he had to play the part. Jay would want to know what was going on. Malcolm stepped closer to the table. "I'm sorry I didn't call before coming over," he said. "It's my first day back on the job, thought I'd stop by."

"Oh, right." Iris looked up at him. "How are you feeling?"

"After all the interviews and paper work and evaluations I've had to go through?" Malcolm asked. Iris's lips twitched at the corners. "Being back at work will be a piece of cake in comparison. Apparently, it's just Joe and this new girl on the Meta Task Force? Patty Spivot?"

Iris frowned. "I've never met her," she said. "In fact, dad and Barry have only mentioned her a couple times." A thoughtful look appeared on her face, a distant look coming to her eyes.

"I didn't mean to scare Linda or anything, I could have called before I came over, I guess," Malcolm said, lifting a hand to scratch the back of his head.

Iris made a _tisk_ sound with her tongue. "Whether you're showing up in person or calling on the phone, it's still just so…weird." She brushed her hair out of her face and wetted her lips with her tongue. "I mean, I used to call your number just to listen to your voice mail to hear your voice again. And now you'd actually pick up? I mean, I'm happy, I'm _so_ happy, but it's still weird. Right?"

Her hesitant smile was nothing like the one she had just had. Vibrant. Inviting. This was the first time he had ever seen her anything like that. She was practically glowing under the fluorescent lights. It was almost a pity to know he'd have a hand in permanently wiping it from her face. But now wasn't the time. He had to wait for Jay's call. Everything was planned out perfectly.

"Just integrate yourself into her life," Jay had said repeatedly, "be the Eddie Thawne she lost. Do your job and we can hit Barry Allen on two fronts."

Easier said than done. It was one thing to pose yourself as a mentor from another, almost identical, Earth. But to take on the identity of someone so engrained in people's lives? He had agreed to the plan, wanted the chance to enact his own revenge, but there was a different Iris West standing in front of him. For a brief moment, she wasn't the despondent woman who lost her fiancé, but someone else.

"You should get going," Iris had said, snapping Malcolm out of his thought. "You don't want to be late for work and I need to finish this."

"Iris," Malcolm said quietly. He rubbed his hands together. This had to be dealt with carefully. There was no way he could act like he did to others that defied him and scared them into compliance. Just like did with her precious fiancée. For his sake he better have given Malcolm all the correct information. "Can't things just go back to how they were? I mean, I'm back. We're together."

"It's not that simple," Iris said, shaking her head. "I thought it was. I _hoped_ it would be. In fact, I had spent so much time dreaming about what it would be like to just have you back. And now you're here and I'm feeling so many things at one time and I don't know how to handle it."

"Why not?"

"You left me! Again!" Malcolm almost did a double take at Iris's outburst. Her voice reached every corner of the room. Admittedly, he wasn't expecting that. Not from her. Then again, the longer he was around her the more she surprised him. In a good way. In an annoying way. In a way he wasn't supposed to notice.

"Iris—"

"We were happy, Eddie." Her voice cracked. "We had just said that we would make it through whatever was thrown our way. Together! And then you shot…" Iris groaned, bringing a shaking hand up to her mouth. She continued quietly, "You shot yourself."

"Iris."

"I mean, did you ever stop and think about it? About me?" Iris demanded. Wetting her lips with her tongue, she shook her head back and forth. "You had already made up your mind. Before we had called our engagement back on, you knew you what you were going to do, didn't you?"

Malcolm opened his mouth and closed it again. He swallowed. "I knew you'd be ok." He almost made a face. That even sounded lame to him. Still, he couldn't stop the words, the emotion attached to them as they came out of his mouth. What was going on? He didn't know a thing about this woman apart from what was told to him. Why were there lov…lov – he almost couldn't form the word in his mind – _loving_ feelings for her inside him?

"How? How could you know?" Iris threw her hands into the air. "Could you suddenly see into the future?" He was silent and Iris's shoulders dropped as she sighed through her nose. "That newspaper."

"We don't end up together, Iris." A wave of glee washed over him. Shortly followed by anger. No matter what, Malcolm didn't win. Not as Eddie, and not as himself. He didn't get the girl. He didn't get the family. He got nothing. Not anymore. He would make sure that he could orchestrate one victory. "Not in the future."

"We already talked about this." Iris started gathering the stack of materials together in front of her. "We agreed that we weren't going to let something like this affect us."

 _How many times, exactly, did you talk about it?_ Malcolm thought, trying not to roll his eyes. His chest swelled as he took in a breath of air through his nose. _Just relax. Listen. Work off her._

"I know. I know we did, but I had to do something. Eobard is part of _my_ bloodline." He walked around the table to Iris's side. Reaching out for her, he frowned when she stepped away from him. He was actually hurt that she did so. What was going on? He dropped his hands to his sides. "If I continued to exist, he would have followed up on his word. He would have killed Barry. Then Henry. Then anyone else he ever would want to harm." Everything he had planned on targeting. Maybe it _was_ in his blood. "And I wasn't going to let that happen, not if I had the opportunity to stop it. Can't you understand that?"

"You left me," Iris said simply.

"It would have happened anyway."

"We don't know that."

"Open your eyes, Iris. We both know it!" Iris clicked her tongue at his sudden burst of annoyance but didn't answer. He was tired of this. "I mean, sure, maybe we got married in the future. Maybe we stayed together for a while, but by the time that newspaper is written, you've got a huge career ahead of you. And you're married to Barry." Iris still didn't answer. "Maybe we're still friends, or maybe I'm not a huge part of your life, but I was still alive long enough to let someone like Eobard Thawne exist."

"Eddie, come on."

"You had Barry. I knew you were going to be ok." He had to stop his lips from shaking. "You're always ok with Barry."

"But I wanted _you_."

"I know."

"I wanted to marry _you_ , Eddie."

"I know that, too."

Iris bowed her head for a moment. She pushed off the table and crossed her arms over her chest as she stepped closer to him. She shook her hair back out of her face, looking up at him. "The thing is, I didn't have Barry," she explained. Malcolm perked up, surprised. "Not really."

"What?"

"After everything that happened…we still talked, but not about the singularity," Iris explained. "Not about you or Ronnie. Work, how the city was rebuilding, criminals that the Flash helped the police catch, that was all on the table. But not what had happened six months ago." Her words grew stronger, punctuated with her own frustration. She pronounced each syllable carefully. "I know Barry. I know he blamed himself. The thing is, I blamed myself, too."

"For what?"

"After everything with his mom, we made it through. I listened whenever he wanted to talk. And I listened when he didn't want to talk; when all he wanted to do was just sit in silence. I couldn't imagine what it was like to lose his mom like that. To some degree I got it because of what happened with my mom. I mean, I barely remembered her, but not having a mom around? I could understand the longing. I just couldn't understand losing someone that impactful in my life. That important."

Malcolm slowly nodded. "Until I did what I did."

Iris nodded, lips pressed tightly together. "So when I needed to talk about it, and Barry wasn't there? It sucked. Team Flash had fallen apart. Caitlin went to Mercury Labs, Cisco stayed at S.T.A.R. Labs and tried to help Barry, but they barely talked. Averey was on house arrest and didn't want any of us around. I had no one." She fixed Malcolm with a stare. "So, no, I wasn't ok."

"I'm sorry."

Iris forced a chuckle and repeated his words from before. "I know."

"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think everything for you, for everybody else, would be ok."

For a long moment, Iris was silent. She stared at Malcolm, head inclining slightly to the side as she scrutinized him. "What Eobard said to you," she said, breaking the silence, "it really got to you, didn't it?"

"I don't amount to anything. I'm not important. I don't make a difference." Malcolm nearly smiled a devilish grin. He swallowed, squashing the bubble of laughter that was rising in his throat. He couldn't break the façade now, no matter how ridiculous he sounded. Of course he was making a difference. Everyone knew about Zoom. Everyone knew about him. Maybe not on this Earth, but they would. One day real soon.

"But you did, Eddie, that's the point," Iris said. "Ok, maybe it's not in the way Eobard may have thought to be most important, but it's important to us. Here. In this time." She put her hands over her chest. "I fell in love with you. You helped Averey through a hard time in her life. You were my dad's partner both on the clock and off. As the police, you and the Flash helped each other, and you helped the city."

Malcolm strained his face to stop himself from reacting in surprise. Eddie Thawne actually doing something worthwhile? It was hard to believe.

"So, yes, you did make a difference. To us. Our lives would be so much different without you, don't you see that?

"I do now," Malcolm commented. He turned away from her, sucking in a deep breath of air. He knew what he had to do and the thought of it made his stomach clench in equal parts nausea and…longing? If this was another way to hurt "The Fastest Man Alive," to make it easier for Zoom to conquer this Earth, he would do what he could to help. Turning back to face her, he said, "Iris, I'd like to get to know you again."

He nearly reacted in surprise. The words weren't being forced. Even the emotion they were wrapped in was genuine. "I know I can't make up for how much I had hurt you. I still love you." Jaw suddenly tightening, he stopped himself from clenching his teeth. That uncomfortable feeling was starting to return and do battle with his pleasant feelings. "And I want to be better for you this time around. If you'll have me. We don't have to set a wedding date right now, I mean, I know we didn't have time before. I know it'll take time. As long as you need. You're worth waiting for."

Iris stood staring at him for a long moment. Malcolm shifted his weight from foot to foot, suddenly feeling stupid. And he was never self-conscious. He was never out of control of a situation and in this moment, he actually felt embarrassed about what it was that he had just said? That was not right!

The next moment, Iris threw her arms around Malcolm's neck and kissed him. In that moment he realized, despite how much anger, and hurt, and hatred he had for everyone in Eddie Thawne's life, despite how much he would revel in breaking his life apart, that it just might have its perks, too.

 _No. Stick to the plan. She's just a part of the plan. That's all._ Malcolm pulled himself back from the embrace, eyes wide. "Um," he said before clearing his throat, "I should get to work. I don't want to be late on my first day back."

"Yeah, ok," Iris said, cheeks flushed, "right. I don't want you to be late, either." She scratched the back of her head. "So, um, I guess I'll see you later?"

"Definitely," Malcolm replied. "If I see Averey, I'll let her know you're back here." Iris smiled her thanks and Malcolm turned to leave the room. His smile dropped as soon as the door closed behind him, and the floaty feeling that had taken over his legs had disappeared the further he got away from Iris. "Good lord."

Upon climbing into his car, Malcolm heard a chime and reached for his cell phone. Multiple messages had been left for him from Captain Singh. He was wanted at a location where a body had been found. _At least there's_ something _exciting going on around here_ , he thought to himself. He turned the key in the ignition, cranked up the volume to the radio, and peeled out of his parking spot, briefly glancing over his shoulder for any oncoming traffic.

Twenty minutes later, rocks and gravel bounced and knocked the undercarriage of his car as he pulled up alongside the many cars. The coroner's van was closest to the yellow police tape, windows as dark as it's paint job. Lights from police cruisers flashed amongst the grouping of parked cars. Sliding out of his car, he stepped past the traffic barricades and made his way over to where Joe and Barry were talking with a smaller blonde-haired woman.

"Joe," Malcolm called out.

Joe spun on his heels, a light dusting covering his shiny black shoes as he did so. For a brief moment, Joe stared at him, bewildered, before it cleared. "First day back on the job," Joe said, meeting him halfway across the clearing, "we've got a good one." Malcolm craned his neck to look past Joe to the meat packing truck that was being indicated to with a jerk of Joe's thumb. "There's something to the saying that you put body parts on ice."

"Yeah, emphasis on the meat packing part, I guess," Malcolm said, earning a chuckle from Joe. "Get me up to speed. I'm ready to jump right in."

"It's not for the faint of heart, partner," Joe said, clapping Malcolm on the shoulder. Malcolm reached into the breast pocket of his coat, removing a notepad and a pen. "Decapitation. And not the clean kind, either."

Malcolm smiled to himself as he wrote. In all things in his life, the messier the better. It was more memorable. More fun. If only he had been a part of it. Joe lead the way over to Barry who was conversing with the woman, matching bright smiles on their faces. It was one thing for him to smile over the thought for blood and gore, but to see someone like Barry smiling around a site like this? Maybe there was truth in the whole dark humor thing.

"Oh, hey, Eddie," Barry said upon spotting him, his laughter fading. "Welcome back. This is Officer Spivot, Patty Spivot. New to your Meta Task Force and Joe's new…" Barry suddenly stopped talking, looking back and forth between Joe and Patty. "Partner? Are you guys-?" He scratched the back of his head before using his index fingers to indicate everyone around him. "Sorry, I don't know how Captain Singh has assigned these things."

"Hi." Patty thrust her hand out to Malcolm. He put his notepad and pen back into his pocket, freeing his hand to shake hers. "I'm new. Like Barry said. The only one who wanted to be on the Anti-Meta Task Force, apparently. It's a great program you've set up, Detective Thawne."

"Thanks," Malcolm said slowly. There was no way someone could actually be that bubbly all of the time.

"I've been learning a lot with Joe, on sites like this," Patty continued. "In fact!" With a flourish, she spun on her heels and threw back the tarp that was draped over a still form on the bottom of the semi-truck. "If you'll notice, this isn't your average decapitation. Of course, you would find jagged edges like this if someone was being hacked at post-modem and anti-mortem with a dull blade, but see these jagged bits?" She used her pinkie finger to point at what was left of a man's neck, careful not to touch the body. "Looks like something a meta would do, right?"

Malcolm stepped closer and Patty put out a hand. "Careful where you step," she warned. "There are body parts everywhere." She said it with an excited smile. "I mean, this person was clearly dumped with no regard, bits of him just falling off everywhere. We just want to be careful to cross contaminate or anything."

Malcolm glanced sideways at Joe out of the corner of his eye. _This is not happening._

"Mhm, you see?" Joe said, pointing a pen in Malcolm's direction. "I'm not the only one that gives that look."

"Something was blown up all right," Barry agreed, opening the case by his hands. He stretched a pair of gloves over his fingers before picking up what looked to be like an electronic thermometer. With an audible _squelch,_ Barry pushed the tip of the metal probe into a jagged chunk of flesh. Joe made a grunting sound, turning away. A thoughtful look crossed his face as he waited for the readings to appear on the device he held in his hand.

"I'm just going to see if they've IDed this guy, yet," Joe said, a deep frown on his face. He glanced back at the body, made a disgusted face, and walked off at a brisk pace.

"Traces of thermite," Barry said quietly, "that's what I thought." Malcolm gave him a curious look, as did Patty. "When James Jesse came around, I had done research on his past terrorist plots in Central City. Bombs were his forte." He swallowed. "Some people were hurt. Arms and legs looked a lot like this."

"So, it was a bomb?" Patty asked. "Do we know of any metas that can control explosives?" Barry was silent for a moment, a muscle in his jaw pulsing. "Barry?"

"One," he admitted, "but she's more powerful than this. And she left Central City a long time ago." Malcolm perked up at that information. A meta with abilities involving explosives, huh? Maybe that was something of use to him and Jay. "This was localized just to the head."

"It would have to be a weaker explosive, right?" Patty asked. "A bomb would usually tear apart the whole body, right? This is just at the head."

"Or it's smaller," Malcolm pointed out. "Do little damage with little explosives." He scratched at his chin with his retracted pen. "Whoever did this, could have done a better job at making sure this person's identity wouldn't be identified."

"So this was more of a warning," Patty said. "Maybe?" Barry and Malcolm didn't say a word. "But then, who were they warning?"

"Whoever they're working with," Barry said, head bent as he wrote his findings on his notepad. "There's no way someone could get a bomb in someone's head without some help." He snorted. "Or without them knowing."

"Unless they were drugged," Patty replied.

Barry stilled. Slowly, he lifted his head, staring into the back of the truck. His tongue poked out his cheek as his eyebrows lowered. "What?" Patty lifted up onto the balls of her feet, an expectant smile on her face. "You think so, too? You think it's possible?"

"It's Central City," Barry said with a half-smile, "everything is possible." He packed up his kit and snapped the clasps as if to punctuate his point. Then he gave her a full smile as he pulled the strap over his shoulder. "And, hey, you're doing a great job. Stop worrying. Discussing multiple probabilities for cases like this gives us a few places to jump off of when building a case."

"I just want to prove to Captain Singh that he hasn't made a mistake pulling me up to this Task Force," Patty said, seeming to sigh and allow her shoulders to drop.

"Why did you want to be on this Task Force so badly, anyway?" Malcolm asked. He wasn't even directed to know anything about this new girl. But, if she was going to be this close to Barry, she was a person of interest, too. After all, it was important to gather as much information on someone as he could.

"Joe couldn't do any of this wok on his own," Patty replied with a shrug. "I mean, of course, there's the Flash, but he can't be everywhere at once, right?" Malcolm stared at her, eyebrows coming towards each other. Wetting her lips with her tongue, Patty crossed her arms over her chest and looked Malcolm in the eye. "Just because people have abilities now, it doesn't give any of them the right to do whatever they want with them. It doesn't give them the right to act as if the law is beneath them. If they want money, they can suddenly go rob a bank and no one can stop them instead of putting in god honest work to making a life for themselves. Abilities doesn't give anyone a step up above everyone else. And they sure as hell can't think they won't face the law just because they think it no longer applies to them."

She took a step closer to Malcolm and needed to tilt her head back to look at him. "That's why I'm a cop. That's why I wanted to do this. Because people need to know that there are those out there that will do whatever they can to stop people who think they can do whatever they want with no repercussions." Patty's nostrils flared. "That's why you joined, right?"

 _Huh?_ Malcolm quickly scrolled through everything he had been told by Eddie. He had to hold back a scowl. Not once did the topic of why he became a cop come up. Who would have ever thought he would have to have an answer like that ready? He grit his teeth. He did. He should have known. If he was going to take on the full persona that was Eddie Thawne, he needed to know the man inside and out. It was on him. He failed.

"I know all about you, Detective," Patty said with a hint of a smile. "I learned everything I could about this Task Force before seeing if there were any open positions. Don't tell me you don't have your reasons of creating this Anti-Meta Task Force or joining the force in the first place. Because those who have power and hold their power over others are bullies and I know you don't kindly to bullies."

Malcolm pressed his lips together and Patty tilted her head to the side, suddenly smiling sweetly. "So, did I pass the oral examination to get a place on this Task Force or what?" Silent, Malcolm blinked repeatedly and sighed through his nose.

"Uh, well, I for one," Barry said, slowly lifting a hand into the air, "think you did." Upon both Patty and Malcolm giving him odd looks, Barry shrugged and scratched the back of his neck. "Just saying. Um, I'm going to go find Joe." Gravel crunching under his feet, Barry took quick steps away from them.

"You're not used to a woman knowing how to speak her mind, are you?"

Malcolm laughed. "Believe me, that's not true at all," he commented. _Considering I just had to listen to Iris not too long ago._ He waved his hand in the air, turning to follow Barry with his gaze over to Joe. "If you want on the Task Force, be my guest. There's only so many that are willing to face something like metahumans. It's not for the faint of heart. And who knows what we'll be up against next."

Whatever Patty said in response, he didn't hear. His focus was entirely on Joe and Barry. He squinted, watching the two cops speak animatedly to each other. Lots of head nods. Talking with their hands. Repeatedly looking over in Malcolm and Patty's direction. Then, they were crossing the gravel, faces etched into as neutral expressions as possible.

Joe and Barry rejoined Patty and Malcolm. "Patty, I think this is a great opportunity for you to learn how we work with the medical investigators," Joe said.

Patty's eyes widened. "Sir, I know I may have jumped the gun with Eddie Slick, and I got a head start here without waiting for you," she said, speaking quickly, "but, please, don't take me off this case."

"What?" Joe asked, bewildered. "Spivot, I'm not taking you off the case. You clearly, and a little scarily, know about weaponry in regard to how this could have happened." Patty closed her mouth, slowly nodding. "If you want to know what it means to be a detective, this is part of it."

"Right." A moment later, a bright smile returned to Patty's face. "Of course. We need to know how to get our information and apply it to the crime and by doing that, we need to keep up a great rapport with all parts of a crim scene. We need to know how to talk to people."

"Sure," Joe replied, nodding his head, "that's exactly right." With an overexuberant nod, Patty left the three men to themselves. Joe waited until he was sure Patty was out of earshot before he turned back towards Malcolm. "Look, Eddie, Barry and I weren't sure we were going to talk to you about this, but considering you knew about Barry's 'alter ego' so to speak, it wouldn't be fair to keep you out."

Malcolm felt himself perk up, briefly glancing over at Barry. "What's going on?"

"This man, or rather, half a man, I guess, David Rudenburg, was a known associate with Lewis Snart," Joe explained. "A security expert."

At the mention of Lewis Snart, Malcolm paused. He had to remember that this world was different. Different from what he knew. "If he's such an expert, why would Snart get rid of him?" Malcolm asked. He spoke slowly, trying to keep himself in check. "And what does this have to do with… _you_?"

"Lewis Snart is ruthless," Barry replied, "and in a sense, so is his son. But, the thing is, Lisa Snart is at S.T.A.R. Labs right now insisting that her brother is in trouble." He shifted his weight from foot to foot. "It's like we were saying, there's no way you can implant a bomb in someone's head without not only a partner, but without drugging someone to forget about it."

"And?" Malcolm asked. His stomach started to ache. His throat started to tighten.

"And, while robbing a racetrack, Lisa was abducted. She remembers seeing her brother taken but doesn't remember anything after that until hours later where she woke up in the middle of the street." Barry cleared his throat. "We were examining her at S.T.A.R. Labs, gave her a lie detector test, so to speak, and confirmed her story." Malcolm looked over at Joe. Joe was staring back at him, repeated tapping his pen against his notepad. "The thing is, if Leonard Snart could do something like plant a bomb in this guy's head, I'm willing to bet he'll do that to his own daughter."

"Why?"

"Because, there is no one else in this world that Leonard Snart cares about more than his sister, Lisa. If Lewis wants to make sure that he keeps his son in line, threatening his son with his daughter's wellbeing is the best way to do it."

"Ok, but Leonard also doesn't sound like a guy that really relies on other people," Malcolm pointed out. "Not unless he can't get something from them in return." He paused, looking back and forth between Barry and Joe. "What is that he wants?"

"Well, if Lisa's surgical mark means anything," Barry said, rubbing his jaw, "Snart has some connection to someone in the medical field. Someone who would have no issue with carrying out a task like this." Malcolm's palms slowly started to heat up, the palms of his hands beginning to sweat. "Lewis wants control of his son, and he got it through his daughter. What the main goal is, I'm not sure. But that's what I'm going to find out." Even Joe looked confused at Barry's statement. "Leonard doesn't have a security guy, anymore. At least not until I offer myself for the position."

"Are you crazy?" Joe asked. "You can't do that, Barry. You know how this guy is. And Snart knows about you. You're putting yourself in the line of fire."

"At least, in this case Barry," Malcolm lowered his voice, "and the Flash," he lifted it back to its normal volume, "could be there if things go sideways. It may be our best option. An undercover operation could save both Leonard, and Lisa, _and_ stop Lewis from whatever it is he's doing."

Joe pressed his lips together before running a hand over his mouth. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, Barr," he said.

"You've done undercover work a lot, Joe," Barry reminded him.

"And I've had to do a lot while undercover," Joe replied. "Things that lead even the most upstanding men to start drinking or doing anything they can to forget what they've done. Things I've always hoped and dreamed that you and Iris would never have to experience yourselves, let alone know about. You might have to do things you could never see yourself do. That's all I'm saying."

"It'll be fine, Joe," Barry replied. "Trust me." Joe didn't look convinced, but he nodded anyway. He reached for his phone. "Listen, I'm going to call into S.T.A.R. Labs, tell them everything that we've figured out."

"I'll go update Captain Singh on everything we know," Malcolm offered.

"Ok, I'll finish things up here." Joe gently clapped Barry's shoulder blade and the two went off in different directions.

Spinning on his heels, Malcolm reached into his pocket for his phone. He didn't dial a number until he was back in his car. Leaning against the steering wheel, he drummed his fingers against the dashboard as he waited, impatiently, for the ringing phone to be answered. "Come on, come on, come on," he said between clenched teeth. He only settled back in his seat when the call was answered with a video of Jay's face accompanied by a crisp, "What?"

"About time!" Malcolm replied, holding his phone out in front of him.

Jay peered curiously at him. "Why?"

"I need to punch something," Malcolm said, deadpan.

Tilting his head back, Jay burst into loud laughter. His voice echoed around the room he was in. "Believe me, there will be plenty of time for that," he reassured.

"I mean, we had this all planned out," Malcolm said, "yet nothing. We haven't sent a meta from our world in ages. What are we going to do next?"

"We," Jay said with a sigh, stressing the word, "are going to be patient. Dr. Light will be of some use to us, but what's light without some shadows?" He tilted his head to the side. "I've heard them mention a meta here they're dealing with: Shadow Thief." Malcolm scoffed. "I think I can convince him to join our side. Light and shadows, Flash and Visionary. It'll be something interesting to see."

Even Malcolm couldn't help but chuckle at the idea. "Speaking of interesting," he commented, and Jay's eyebrows came towards each other, Barry plans to go undercover as a criminal to try and get into Lewis Snart's ranks to try and save his kids."

Jay blinked. His eyes widened. Then they narrowed. He didn't say a word.

"And Averey has gotten Iris to give her every news article on General Eiling and Iron Heights that the Central City Picture News ever published." Jay's eyes narrowed even more. "They're more intelligent than we think. I think they could figure things out further."

Jay pursed his lips. "Yeah, ok," he said, sounding unbothered. "I'll keep an eye on that. At the moment, however, I'm more interested in seeing if Barry Allen in fact has some darkness inside of him."

* * *

"Library will be closing in half an hour."

Which meant it was almost seven o'clock. Averey only had fifteen minutes left in the room, having parked herself there straight after meeting Iris. How she managed to bring all the boxes onto the city bus, and further to the library, she wasn't exactly sure. Averey lifted her head from her folded arms and gave the security guard leaning into the room a smile. "Cheers, Sal," she said.

"It's nice to see you coming around again," Sal said, smiling his gap-toothed smile. "I've always said, if you ever need a place to go to escape life, the library is one of the best places." He nodded towards the boxes nestled in the other chairs at the table, at the articles spread out over the table. "Not doing anymore research on the particle accelerator accident, are you?"

The chair creaked as Averey settled against the back rest. She reached for her pen and started "No, I've picked up a new interest." She reached for her pen and wedged the cap between her wrist and the band of her wrist monitor, scratching at her skin.

There were times where she could pass it off as some sort of new fancy watch. Sometimes she would even forget that she had it on. But then she'd remember curfew, or the looming thought of a random visit from her probation officer, or she'd even whack herself in the face or glasses trying to scratch an itch or style her hair. Every time it caught against the doorway, or the side of a table, spiked her anger and annoyance in seconds. Anger and annoyance at the situation, and at herself.

"Well, you're in the right place to learn more about new interests." Sal nodded in farewell and pulled the door shut behind him. Averey watched as he shuffled to his next location to check security and for any rule breaking, until she could no longer see him past the edge of the window to the occupied study room.

Averey rubbed at her eyes before she pushed her fingers back through her hair, clasping them together at the back of her head. Blinking repeatedly, she tried to get her eyes to stay in focus. One minute, her vision was 20/20 perfect, the next it be burry, almost double vision. Blinking only cleared it for a very brief moment of time and it only brought fleeting relief to the minimal pain starting to take place.

It was funny. All the time she spent on house arrest staring at her phone or computer (most of the time attempting editing work on her photos) she knew that was the cause of her eye strain. Looking at news print and paper print outs? She must have been more tired than she realized. A good night's sleep wasn't something she managed to get that often over the past six months.

Pulling her messenger bag into her lap, she dug past prints, empty candy wrappers, loose change, an empty bottle of water, and a pair of sunglasses before she spotted her glasses case. Cracking open the lid she retrieved them and slid them over her nose, sighing as her vision cleared enough for her to notice the pulsing green notification light of her phone. Unlocking her phone, she was greeted with multiple missed call notifications and a notification for new voice mail.

"What now?" she whispered, clicking on the message from Caitlin. Her eyes widened as she listened to it, and again the second time. Jumping to her feet, she set her phone to speaker, and pressed her thumb to number two on her speed dial. It was answered after the third ring.

"Hey, Aviator," Daniel's voice crackled through the phone, filling the space, "how ya going?"

"Hey, DK," Averey said, quickly gathering articles and shoving them back into their folders. "I'm just leaving the library now, but I'm going to be back later than planned."

"Is anything wrong?"

"No, just sudden plans with friends," Averey replied, making a face. So much for not lying to her parents anymore. "I'll be sure to get home in time for curfew."

"You better." There was silence on the phone before it was filled with the sound of a sigh. "If there is _any_ chance you think you won't have enough time getting home, call and we'll pick you up. It'll be a lot faster than relying on a bus."

"Yeah, I will," Averey replied, stuffing folders into boxes.

"Half an hour was almost pushing it last time," Daniel warned.

"I know." Even with Barry zipping her back to her home in no time, the meta fight had eaten up all the extra time she had planned on using as a cushion. They had to live with the rules of her probation as much as she did. The least she could do to ease her parents' worry was let them know where she would be at any time, and the second she had left for home.

"All right, cheers. Just remember you're coming to the construction site with me tomorrow."

"Right-O. I'll check in later, yeah?" At Daniel's agreement, and one more piece of advice on returning home on time, Averey gathered her belongings and took quick steps out of the library and to the bus stop, body tilted backwards slightly to counter the weight of the boxes in her arms.

Half an hour later, she was standing in an old storage room in S.T.A.R. Labs, watching Cisco's cheeks puff up as he slowly lifted one of the boxes from the floor. Eyebrows coming together, a look of discomfort crossing his face as he carefully set the box on a shelf.

"Are you sure it's ok if I leave all of this here?" Averey asked. Cisco let out a breath of relief once the weight was removed from his arms. "And are you sure you don't want any help?"

"No, I got it," Cisco said, voice pitching upwards into a higher range. He clapped his hands together before wiping them on his pants. "You can't leave it all at your place, right?" He grabbed onto the shelf, steadying it as it started to creak. "What would your parents think about it?"

Legs bent, Averey reached for the last box, and in one fluid moment lifted it into the air and onto the shelf, joining the others. Upon release, she shrugged. "Probably thought I've got an archiving job or something, yeah?" she replied. "I interned at one, wouldn't make a bloody difference to them."

"Except they don't know what we're doing here," Cisco pointed out, "or about you."

"Got it in one," Averey agreed, touching a finger to her nose. "Don't exactly know how to bring it up to them."

"Honesty's always been the best policy," Cisco said before he stepped past her. "Just saying." Averey parted her lips with her tongue, staring at the spot Cisco had just been in. The comment wasn't lost on her. Still, she stayed silent, turning on her heels to follow him. "Anyway, it's a good thing you're here. Maybe you can talk some sense into Barry."

"Caitlin just told me to get over here as quickly as I could," Averey said, sliding her hands into her jeans pockets. "Reckon it's important, obviously, but what is it that _I personally_ needed to be called for?"

"Why do you say it like that?" Cisco asked, giving her an odd look over his shoulder.

"Come on, Cisco," Averey said with a snort, as they stepped into the building's elevator, "even you couldn't figure out a job for me to do here earlier." Cisco was silent, eyes darting back and forth from corner to corner of the elevator. "See? Can't even deny it."

"Trust me, you'd be able to help with this one," Cisco said, keeping his eyes on the light indicating what floor they were on. "Because I'm actually starting to think his lightning psychosis is a real thing." The elevator _dinged_ , the doors slid open, and he made his way towards the Cortex. "I think it's actually affected Barry's brain."

"Wait." Averey threw out her arm, catching his stomach with the back of her hand, "lightning psychosis isn't a real thing?" She laughed through her nose, the corners of her lips lifting into a hint of a teasing smile. "There goes my ready-made excuse for _anything_ Barry related."

Shaking his head, Cisco laughed under his breath leading the way into the Cortex, where Barry was slowly reaching into the pockets of a mannequin covered in clothes. Hanging off the end of each sleeve and pant leg were a set of bells. Caitlin watched from her computer, lips forming a tight line. Lisa stood next to the mannequin, watching Barry carefully.

" _This_ is what I need you here for," Cisco replied. Averey's jaw dropped before she masked it with the tilt of her head, scratching at a spot behind her ear. "Barry has the bright idea of going undercover as Lewis Snart's tech guy on a hit tonight. I need you to talk him, and Caitlin, out of it."

"Caitlin?" Averey repeated. "She only told me you lot needed my help, and to get down here."

"We do need your help." Caitlin turned around in her chair. "I think, to buy us time to helping Lisa, Barry _does_ need to work with Lewis and Snart. What I'm saying is, is that we need to let Averey and Lisa teach Barry how to be a criminal." Cisco threw his hands into the air. "We have no other way at this moment to get the bomb out of Lisa's head." At Averey's look of alarm, Caitlin quickly explained Barry's call at the crime scene which lead to Caitlin discovering thermite residue on Lisa's skin while performing her tests.

"What does Jay think?"

"We don't know. He left a while ago to take a call. I assumed he went back down to make sure the breach was stabilized." Cisco planted his hands on his hips. "We've had a little pow-wow and came to the conclusion that if this bomb comes into contact with air it would blow a new sky light into S.T.A.R. Labs," Cisco said. "So, I need to fashion a device to get it out in one piece."

Averey slowly nodded her head. A pow-wow. Without her. Not surprising. Still, it kind of hurt. Her face was suddenly prickling with (embarrassed?) heat, cheeks surely turning a bright red. Her heart suddenly pounded in her chest. As Averey breathed through her nose, her nostrils started to flare. Her breaths started to come faster. Heavier. Her mind was made up. If this was the kind of help they needed, so be it. It was on them. They were the ones exploiting her.

"Seems to me like it's the only way," Averey commented, stepping around Cisco and over to Barry. Cisco shook his head. "What have you done so far?"

"Ha, ha!" Barry smiled triumphantly, pulling a pen out of the pocket his hand was in. "I've got it." He flipped it into the air, catching it in his palm. "That's five times in a row."

" _Now_ ," Lisa pointed out.

"I can do this with my speed too, why do I have to do it so slowly?"

"Because you won't always be in a situation where you can use your abilities," Lisa replied, taking the pen from his hand. "Lenny and I don't have abilities, and we can still pull off big heists."

"No, you just have enhanced tech to help you out," Caitlin pointed out.

"And we appreciate our gifts, Cisco." Lisa smiled sweetly in Caitlin's direction. Caitlin bristled. "A little intimidation never hurts anyone," she said with a smile. "You have to learn to rely on your other abilities. We all have our advantages." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, throwing a wink in Cisco's direction. Setting her gaze on Barry, her facial features relaxed into an annoyed look, and pointed the pen at Barry's nose. "Your naivety won't help here. Lenny and my dad need someone who knows this kind of work inside and out. If you get in their way, they will have no problem getting rid of you."

"Just like they did with Rudenberg," Barry agreed, his smile faltering slightly. "I get it."

"So first things first," Averey said, slowly circling Barry and Lisa, "stop smiling. This isn't something fun or cool."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Lisa said, her smile returning, "if you're pulling off a good heist, why not enjoy it?"

Averey rolled her eyes. "And secondly, mate, do you really think this bell dummy is helping?"

Barry pulled his lips down in the corners, shrugging. "I've heard some stories," he said. "Get items out of pockets without ringing a bell and you're an accomplished pickpocket. Lewis has to have a detonator somewhere on him, right? If I can slip it off him…"

"It's not so much about whether or not you've got clumsy hands, or set off a bell," Averey made a face at the suit, walking one more lap around the two before standing next to the mannequin, facing Barry. "It's about misdirection, yeah?" She lifted her hand, wiggling Barry's cell phone in the air. "You want as much contact with Lewis as possible to get this without giving away that you have superspeed."

Caitlin gasped, uttering a soft "Whoa" from behind them.

Barry started patting his pockets. First his front pockets, and then the backs, looking around wildly. All the while, staring in surprise at Averey. "How did you do that?"

"Lots of practice," Averey said flatly.

"My dad isn't someone you want to be in any sort of contact with, short or long," Lisa said as Averey handed Barry his phone. "And you're not going to be around a lot of people." She looked over at Averey, her smile turning into a small smirk. "You could have gotten it faster if you used me as the staller and just reached into his pocket."

Averey made a clicking sound with her tongue. Of course, Lisa was right, though she wouldn't admit it out loud. Circling Barry was a distraction maneuver; keep his attention on her movement and not on his pockets. It was also a chance for Averey to look Barry over, to get an idea of where Barry was more likely to keep his phone. As much as it was successful, Lisa's suggestion, using her as a distraction for Barry, and reaching into his pocket, would have been much faster. But, Snart and his dad didn't seem like the type to let anyone else take the lead. Snart for sure wouldn't give Barry the chance to just reach into his father's pocket.

Lisa and her brother, and even Mick Rory were the in-your-face type of criminals. There was no need to hide their faces or to even hide what they were doing. They thrived off of people knowing their names. It was a rush for them to have people trying to track them down but being unable to do so. Lisa was the type to look into the security camera and blow a kiss; Snart more meticulous, sticking to the plan no matter who or what got in his way; and Mick to torch the place and any ounce of evidence left behind just to rub it in. They practically dared anyone who thought they could catch them to try.

That wasn't how the Royal Flush Gang operated. They were a silent group. They mapped out the quickest point of entry and exit, with their target in the middle of that route. Empty or abandoned places were key to their planned hits. Being able to continue posing as an ordinary member of society was important so masks were used, backs were always positioned to security cameras. Weapons were only discharged when necessary, not as a means of intimidation or coercion.

"Yeah, well, I decided not to go for that option," Averey said with more bite than she intended. Lisa didn't look phased. She just shrugged in a 'Your loss' kind of way. Averey turned her attention back to Barry. "Just remember you have to look the part to play the part. You can't be your usual self—"she waved her hands to indicate Barry's clothes, "when you join Snart's crew."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Barry asked, looking down at his clothes.

"Mate, since I've met you, reckon I haven't seen you without a jumper and button down," Averey commented, looking Barry up and down. His eyebrows angled towards each other. Lips parting, he looked over at Cisco and Caitlin for back up. The two of them merely looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes.

"Yeah, I didn't want to say anything about it," Cisco muttered.

"Wha—for real?" Barry asked, looking offended.

Cisco loudly clapped his hands together. "So! Makeover time. What kind of name are we thinking about, here?" he asked. "Because I think there are still some clothes left here from other employees and, you know, certain clothes work on certain people."

"You haven't always been fond of the name Bartholomew," Caitlin gently added.

"Well, yeah, because it's _Bartholomew,_ " Barry replied. He lifted a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Snart won't rat me out to his dad, but I can see where you're coming from."

"Ok, so…Greg?" Averey asked.

"You've kind of got a boyband look going on," Lisa said, "Justin?" Her eyes widened slightly when everyone turned to look at him. "I have my guilty pleasures."

"Nicholas," Caitlin suggested, resting her elbows on the table, clasping her fingers together, "Nick. I think that's a nice name."

"I like William," Cisco said, head tilted to the side.

" _Sam_ is fine," Barry said emphatically. Eyebrows lifted, he looked around at everyone, waiting to see if they would contradict him. He glanced at his watch. "It's getting late, if Lewis is going to pull a heist, it'll be soon, and I still need to find Snart. What else do I need to know?"

"With my dad, do not question orders," Lisa gravely warned. "If you don't know what to do, just follow his or Lenny's lead. It's the easiest way to get through things. Don't talk at all, if you can help it, just get the job done as quickly as he sees fit." She lifted an eyebrow. "Which shouldn't be a problem for you."

Barry's face turned a bright red. He loudly cleared his throat and turned, eyebrows lifted, eyes wide towards Averey. So many pieces of advice instantly slammed int other head: only put as much of yourself into the job as you're willing to get out of it; don't leave a hit the same way you go in, don't take or make anything personally, and so on. One right after another. Everything that had made a hit with the Royal Flush Gang successful.

Instead of answering him, Averey walked back over to where Cisco and Caitlin were sitting behind their computers and said, "Cisco, log into both of these computers here, and make sure the comm systems are up and running."

"Um, ok," Cisco looked cautious but moved over to his computer. Tucking his hair behind his ears, he quickly logged himself into the computer. "Why?"

"Because Lisa and I are going to be in Barry's ears, telling him what to do," Averey replied, looking over at Lisa's shocked expression. "You want to make sure your brother gets out of this in one piece, yeah?" She briefly nodded. "So do I. Come on."

"Hold on," Caitlin said, leaping to her feet.

"Cait," Cisco said, pushing himself away from the computers, "I think it's ok. You're all right, this will give me more time to find a way to get the bomb out of Lisa." Caitlin still didn't look convinced. "And you know how these computers work just as well as I do. If anything goes wrong, you can take over."

"Ok," Caitlin said. She sounded reluctant but still pulled her chair over to her computer and logged into her station as well. "Lisa, can you think of anywhere that your brother may be?"

"The bar," Lisa instantly replied. Barry's shoulders dropped, and he gave her a look that was half annoyance and half "duh." Eyes wide, she shrugged.

"There's over 100 bars in Central City," Cisco said, fingers flying over his keyboard. "You're going to have to give me more information than that." He tucked his hair behind his ears. "Think, Lisa."

"Well, he wouldn't go anywhere really crowded," Lisa explained. "Nothing popular by any means. Lenny likes to drink without getting hassled." A frown came to her face. "By me, anyway. A lot of the times he won't tell me where he's going. I think so I won't see him turn out like dad, but a drink here or there doesn't hurt anyone." Her lips twitched. "That's what dad used to say, anyway."

Averey exchanged glances with Barry, who shifted his weight from foot to foot. Lisa must have noticed, for she cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest, her tough exterior returning. "You don't have to feel sorry for us," she said, "we've made a great life for ourselves."

"By taking from others," Caitlin gently pointed out.

"If society wasn't created to keep us on the lower end of the totem pole down, we wouldn't have to worry about it," Lisa replied. "Everyone deserves a luxury item or two. No one needs five sports cars, they're not going to miss one." She shrugged again. "And, if they don't agree with us, well, that's their problem." Averey found herself nodding along to Lisa's words and quickly masked it by massaging the back of her head. How many times had she justified her own actions in a similar manner?

"Which bar, Lisa?" Barry asked. "Nothing crowded, nothing popular, so we can rule out sports bars, nightclubs, anything like that."

"Mmhmm, keep going." Cisco nodded, applying filters to his search terms. "We're narrowing it down."

"You can also rule out chain bars, too," Caitlin said.

"We're probably looking more for a pub, yeah?" Averey said. "Not too crowded, not popular, out of the way. Any locals going to the bars now would be late teens, early twenties, I reckon. Places close to home would be perfect for them, not locations not within cooie." She got blank stares in return and she sighed. "Nothing too far away. Snart's a loner, but even he would want a place that would fit his vibe."

"So, what?" Caitlin asked. "A pub where you can trade information on how to rob someone?"

"Yeah, like cookie recipes," Cisco said dryly.

"Of course!" Averey slapped herself in the forehead. "A social club. She's talking about a social club. Keystone and Central City _were_ established in the 1800s or so. Maybe earlier. Between speakeasies and the mafia, I'm not surprised there are any still around." She snapped her fingers. "You guys had a meta, The Mist; he went after the Darbinyan crime family. If there's any place they would go…"

"I've got a few locations for you," Cisco announced to Barry. He walked over to his friend and clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's get you changed, and you can go around looking for Snart. It shouldn't take you long." As he left the Cortex, he said over his shoulder, "Caitlin, make sure they're careful with the computers. She's very delicate. Take good care of her."

"Of course, Cisco," Caitlin said with a brief roll of her eyes. "Come on, Lisa, I'll show you and Averey how to use the system."

After a quick crash course in all things computer related, Averey had a growing appreciation for Cisco and Caitlin staying back at S.T.A.R. Labs whenever they had a fight. Even the slightest touch on the screen, or wrong combination of key strokes on the keyboard and the windows and tasks on the computers would drastically change. You would have to have a great knowledge of the system to be able to navigate it. It was always nice to know she was linked to S.T.A.R. Labs while out taking down a metahuman, but she never really stopped to think about what their jobs all entailed.

Barry quickly found Snart and after convincing him to join his father's crew, all of which the girls could hear due to the ear piece they had fitted Barry with before he left. Caitlin easily managed her way into the security system. Snart had insisted that he wasn't in any trouble, but his demeanor had changed once Barry had insisted that Lisa was worried about him. Even in the dark video feed, Averey could see his hunched body relax, slowly settling back against the cushion of the booth he was sitting in. His scowl slowly decreased until it was a deep frown, eyes softening, eyebrows pulling away from each other.

"We'll get him out of there safely," Caitlin said to Lisa's profile. "Don't worry."

"I'm not," Lisa said, rolling her shoulders back. "Lenny's gotten out of even tougher situations before." Averey looked past Lisa and over to Caitlin who twisted her mouth to the side, shrugging in a helpless sort of way. "Now be quiet, they're on their way to meet my dad."

Caitlin pulled up a map of the city, the images projected across every screen in The Cortex. A red dot on the screen pulsated, slowly moving across the screen. A banner with Barry's name "Looks like they're headed to the Goldwyn Tower," Caitlin said, bringing up a map of the city. A red dot pulsated with a banner with Barry's name attached to it, slowly moving through the streets of Central City. "What could be there that your dad could want?"

"In a building like that?" Averey asked. "Everything." Lisa stayed silent.

" _How are they doing_?" Cisco's voice came over the speaker system, filling the room.

"I'm bringing up the security footage now. Should be available in your workshop."

" _Yeah, I've got it now. Good luck, Barry. You've got this._ "

"How's the device coming, Cisco?"

" _Well, I've concluded that we need to force eject the bomb out of her head. I'm just having a hard time figuring out how to do it without just sticking a super powered vacuum to her head._ " Caitlin, Averey, and Lisa exchanged glances. " _Oh no, please, your silence is all the disapproval I need._ " Lisa chuckled good naturedly. " _I'll keep looking._ "

"Just keep me updated, Cisco." Barry's voice, despite being at a whisper, still sounded as if he was standing right beside them. Different camera angles of the streets of Central City flashed by on the computer screen until Barry and Snart were seen making their way down the sidewalk. Barry was a few steps behind Snart, hands shoved into his pockets. "We're almost at the rendezvous point. We'll change nearby and head inside. We're headed to the 27th floor."

"There's still nothing here that will tell us what he may be targeting," Caitlin said with a frown, fingers flying over her keyboard and pressing to the computer screen. "For all intents and purposes, it's just an office building. The condominiums are on the top floor, but they're not going that high up."

"The condos would have the most valuable things, yeah?" Averey asked, eyebrows coming together in confusion.

"It would also mean more security," Lisa replied, sounding bored. "This time of night, dad will be looking for lapses in rounds. Anyone in the condos would have all sorts of security on them 'round the clock. Dad's watched them for a while."

The girls watched the security feed for Lewis, Leonard, and Barry to appear at the Goldwyn Tower in silence. Averey's knees started bouncing. She brought a hand to her face and removed her glasses, pinching at the bridge of her nose, and rubbed at her eyes. Setting her glasses back on her nose, she got out of her seat and started to pace. Her stomach knotted, a mixture of thrill and anxiety, almost like she was out there doing it herself.

"They're approaching the building now," Caitlin announced and Averey's eyes swiveled to the monitor mounted on the wall.

"Ok, Barry, this is important," Averey said, "make sure you don't leave the building the same way you went in." A simple enough rule to follow. "If they call the police, or some alarm is tripped, they'll have the main entrance blocked for sure. A building this big, I don't reckon they would have the whole building surrounded. If they need to get anyone else in the building out, they'd need a safe area of the building to exit." On the security feed, Barry now dressed in a gray jumpsuit barely nodded his head. His hands were clasped tightly around the handles of a housekeeping cart.

"Diamonds game, huh?" Lewis asked. His voice was softer but could still be heard through Barry's earpiece. On the video feed, the girls could see him lean past the guards to glance at the tv set up behind them. "Keystone's Salamanders don't stand a chance; the Diamonds have a great roster this season."

"Beating the crap out of them right now," one of the guards commented, slapping his hands together in annoyance. He turned away from the tv screen, briefly looking at Lewis. "Trading for Chambers was a great play. They're strong so far, but we'll have to watch and see how the season continues." He then did a double take, looking the three over. Barry started shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Steady, Barry," Averey said. She realized she was rocking back and forth on her feet and stopped moving, planting her weight into the ground. "No sudden movements."

"Take this time to look the guards over," Lisa said. Averey turned to look at Lisa and found her standing, hands pressed firmly onto the counter. Her mouth was inches away from the microphone stretched towards her face. "Which would be the easiest to take out? They're barely paying attention because of the TV, you've got time."

"Here early aren't you?" the second guard asked, turning only half way away from the TV. Head angled sideways, he kept an eye on the sports game.

"Got an emergency call," Lewis explained, "a toilet exploded. We're new hires, they wanted extra hands on this one. Initiation I guess."

"Still can't let you up without looking at your badges."

"Unless you want us to sit here all day, leaving an even bigger mess for you to deal with in the morning," Snart commented, digging into the pocket of his jumpsuit for his badge. "I don't think Mr. Goldwyn will be happy knowing you lent a hand in destroying his building."

Lewis clenched his teeth, snarling at his son. Then, he turned his annoyance to the guards. "Can we hurry this up?" he demanded. "We can't wait any longer." He started reaching for the dust pan behind him. "I don't think I need to tell you what lasting issues will occur if this starts dripping onto the 25th, 24th, 23rd floors? And even more if the pipe bursts."

"What is that?" Caitlin asked. She started rapidly tapping a computer key and each picture flipped around and around as it jumped from one camera feed to the next. Finally, it landed on a video feed of Barry, Lewis, and Snart's backs. "That's a gun." On screen, Barry's gaze instantly moved towards the dustpan that Lewis was slowly moving.

"Take the gun," Averey commanded. Barry's head shot up in alarm. "I didn't say you had to shoot it. Just take it." Barry's arm twitched. His fingers slowly extended towards it. "Take the gun, Barry."

"You're spending too much time there," Lisa said. "The cameras are picking up your face. You need to, get out of there, now." She let out a huff of annoyance. "Shoot them."

"No," Averey said, turning around to face Lisa. "He doesn't need to hurt them."

"They're guards will recognize who they are." Lisa was speaking into the microphone but was holding Averey's gaze. "Don't give them any time to alert anyone else, you still need to finish the job."

"Undercover or not, people will just see Barry Allen committing a crime," Averey replied. She glared at Lisa. "He will cop a right earful from this whole city the second this film is released to the public. He wouldn't make it past the court system. I can see the headlines now: Henry Allen's Son Following in Footsteps."

"You said not to make this personal," Lisa pointed out to her. "I'm not. Whatever happens to him after that, that's on him."

"Guys…" Caitlin said. She threw her hand into the air, not knowing what else to say.

Averey swung back around to face the monitor. "Damn it, Barry, you know Lewis will use it if he wants to," she said. "Get the gun away from him." Barry still hesitated. "No collateral damage, yeah? The guards are just doing their jobs." No collateral damage. A rule she hadn't exactly followed all this time. Maybe Barry could actually follow it.

For a very brief moment, it looked like Barry had frozen on the screen. But she could see his movement. She could see that he picked up the gun only to put it back. With his speed, it was only a blurred motion, but she could still spot the movement. Once the gun was back, Barry offered up a cheerful demeanor, easily talking the guards into letting them pass.

"We're going to the 27th floor now," Barry mumbled as they stepped into the elevator.

"Stall them," Caitlin ordered, bringing up a second security camera window. Rolling her shoulders, trying to shake the uneasy feeling that suddenly pushed down on her shoulders, Averey turned away from the monitor. Placing her hands on the top of the computer table, she faced Caitlin and Lisa. "You've got guards currently patrolling the floor you're headed to." Her words were nearly drowned out by the loud tirade Lewis started hurling at his son the second the elevator doors were closed. Caitlin made a face as the words were projected into the Cortex.

Lisa winced, a distant look coming to her face. Eyes wide, yet unlocked on any one thing, hands gripping the edge of the table so tightly her fingernails were blanched. Her lips shook. She was scared. Almost as if Lewis was yelling at her.

"Lisa." Averey waved her hand in front of Lisa's face. "Hey. You ok?" Lisa didn't change. "Lisa!"

Caitlin leaped out of her seat, her chair flying back across the Cortex. She grabbed Averey's hand. "Don't' touch her," she said. "You can't force someone out of a flash back. Lisa Snart. You're in S.T.A.R. Labs. You're safe." She spoke slowly and calmly. "You're in S.T.A.R. Labs. You're safe, Lisa Snart. You're safe."

"Hey, Lisa," Averey said, matching Caitlin's tone, "look at me for a second. Look at me, Lisa. You're ok." Slowly, Lisa's eyes moved until they focused on Averey's. A light purple hue slid over Averey's vision. She blinked, and Lisa's eyes flickered for a fraction of a second with the same purple glow before it faded. Slowly, Lisa relaxed, and her hands flew up to her eyes.

"What'd you do?" she asked.

"Blinded you," Averey replied, grabbing Lisa's wrists, "momentarily." Her face twitched into a grimace. "I think."

"You think?" Lisa repeated.

"It was to stop you from seeing what you were seeing, yeah?" Averey protested. She grabbed Lisa's wrists, stopping her from rubbing at her eyes. "Your dad really isn't a great bloke, is he?"

Lisa let out a loud bark of laughter. "Yeah, not really," she replied.

Caitlin put a hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. "Or, if you'd like, I could give you a very mild sedative. Calm your nerves?"

"No, no," Lisa protested. She suddenly looked uncomfortable. Clearing her throat, she pulled her shoulder out from under Caitlin's touch. Lisa rolled her shoulder, her upper lip curling slightly. "I'm ok." She blinked repeatedly, pushing the heel of her palm into her eye. "I'm getting my sight back, too."

"And you're really going to be ok once we get this bomb out of you," Cisco announced. He stepped into the Cortex, brandishing what kind of looked like a potato launcher connected to a cord that look like a long garden hose. "This should get suction the bomb out of you in no time. Over a thousand psi, baby."

"You want to stick a high-powered gun to my head?" Lisa asked, whirled around to face Cisco, still rubbing at her eye. "I thought you were smart, Cisco."

"I'm sorry," Cisco said loudly, "how is it any different than the Cold Gun, Fire Gun, and oh yeah, the Gold Gun? All high-powered. All used to hurt and kill." Lisa pressed her lips together. "Just in case, Caitlin, could you get some supplies?"

"I'm on it," Caitlin said. Her heels loudly clicked on the floor as she hurried into the medical bay.

"Are you all done fighting?" Barry asked in a harsh whisper. Looking back at the security footage, Averey saw him hunched over a keypad, fingers flying over a keypad. "I can't hear myself think."

"Mate, you think faster than the rest of us can," Averey said with a frown. "I bet it's like reading off the side effects in a bloody medicine commercial." Barry let out an annoyed huff. "Sorry."

"I think I've almost got it."

"All right let's get this baby ready," Cisco said, motioning for Lisa to sit down. Eyeing the gun in Cisco's hand warily, she did so. "Just relax, ok. The sedative is still an option."

"I'm fine," Lisa protested. She gathered her hair up into a ponytail, bending her head forward.

"Actually, it'll be better if we go at this from another angle," Caitlin said, returning with her hands filled with a bottle of rubbing alcohol, gauze, cotton swabs, and medical tape. She scattered the materials on the table, coaxing Lisa to lift her head with a hand on the small of her back. "Your neck hasn't healed, and we don't want to risk an infection or any complications with it. I think if we go in at the side of the neck…"

"Good idea," Cisco said, lining the barrel of the machine up to the side of her neck. "This should suck the bomb out no problem. I can't guarantee you it'll be without pain."

Lisa's lips lifted into a hint of a smile. She swung her hair out of her face and looked up at Cisco. "The most fun things involve a little pain every now and then." Her smile widened, the confidence suddenly reappearing in her eyes. "So, I leave with a little hickey. What's wrong with that? I trust you Cisco"

Sucking in a deep breath through her nose, Averey lifted her gaze to the ceiling. She turned back around to watch Barry only to whirl back around to face Cisco when she heard a loud _pop_. "What was that?"

"It wasn't me," Cisco replied, just as startled by the sound.

"Oh my gosh!" Caitlin shouted, jumping to her feet. She pointed at her computer with a shaky finger and nearly leaped over the computers to see what she was pointing to. Barry. Lying sprawled on the floor of the Goldwyn Tower, unmoving. Lewis spoke but his words were muffled by Barry's body. "He's been shot." Her voice cracked. "Lewis just shot him."

"I told him to take the gun," Averey groaned, hitting herself in the head with her fists. "Ow!" The nose pads of her glasses jammed into her skin. Her heart rammed in her chest. Get in and get out. That's how things had always been done. She had been a part of some close calls, but nothing where anyone had ever been harmed. No collateral damage. She was still putting her friends in harm's way. Even when she was trying to do the right thing.

"I can't see Lewis or Snart," Caitlin said, cycling through video footage. "They stepped into the room. There are no cameras in there." She threw her hands into the air. "Or it's just not connected to this feed."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, a burst of air rushed past them, making them all jump. "That wasn't me either," Cisco shouted, clutching the gun protectively.

"No, it's was me," Barry said. He was suited, pulling his cowl down over his head. At their shocked expressions, he put his hand in the air. "I'm ok. I caught the bullet before it hit me." His cheeks puffed up as he pushed out a breath air, shaking his head. "That was close though. If Lewis had no problem blowing Rudenberg's head off, I knew he would wipe me out whenever he got the chance. So…" Bullets suddenly clattered to the ground, his discarded jumpsuit settling into place.

"You took his bullets," Averey whispered. "The gun's empty."

"It is now," Barry agreed with a nod. "I had to make it look like everything was normal."

"Smart," Cisco said with a nervous laugh, "that was great thinking."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Caitlin asked.

"I promise I'm fine," Barry replied. He looked over at Lisa. "I promise I'll get your brother out of there. We just need to focus on getting that bomb out of you." He nodded before flashing out of the room, and back across the city.

The Flash skidded to a stop, a red and yellow blur coming into focus on the security feed just as Lewis and Snart stepped out of the back room. An alarm sounded, filling S.T.A.R. Labs with its loud, relentless peal. Lewis pointed his gun at the Flash. His finger moved towards the trigger. He pulled. Nothing happened. No shot rang out. Confused, Lewis turned the gun back towards himself. Barry's laughter filled the room, causing Lewis to snarl and reach deep into his pockets. Snart pointed his Cold Gun at Barry.

"Now's our chance," Caitlin said. "Ave, get this ready." She tossed the roll of medical tape to Averey before grabbing a cotton swab. She opened the bottle of rubbing alcohol and soaked it with the strong-smelling liquid. Hands shaking, Averey tried to start the strip of medical tape before relying on her teeth to. "Ok, go. The area is sterilized. Hurry, Cisco!"

"Don't rush me!" Cisco shouted back. Closing his eyes, he let out a cleansing breath and gently pressed the rounded opening of the gun to Lisa's neck.

"Just do it," Lisa said, squeezing her eyes shut. She clasped her hands tightly together in her lap. Her ankles crossed, the side of her foot tapping the floor. Cisco pressed the gun firmly against the side of her head and Averey spied a muscle twitching in her neck. Just barely, she leaned away from the gun's touch. Her jaw tightened, forming a sharp line. Her teeth were clenched. She was ready for the pain. Preparing herself. As if she was preparing herself for her father's words. Or maybe his fists.

Averey dropped back into the seat she had abandoned and placed her hand over top of Lisa's. At first, Lisa didn't react. She didn't even pull away. Then, she opened her eyes and looked over at Averey. Slowly, she unclasped her hands and she allowed Averey to take her hand.

"Right," Averey said quietly, squeezing Lisa's hand, "you've got this. You know Cisco can do this. It'll be ok, yeah?" Lisa slowly nodded, squeezing Averey's hand back. "Yeah, you've got it."

"He's got the detonator," Barry said over the alarm.

Lisa's neck muscles tightened and started turning towards the computers. Averey squeezed her hand harder. " _No_ ," she commanded, "don't look. Just stay with us. Stay right here." She repeated Caitlin's words. "You're in S.T.A.R. Labs. You're safe."

"Ok, on three," Cisco said. "One, two, three!" A loud mechanical-like _chunk_ sound filled the air. Averey screamed at the sound. Lisa screamed. Caitlin screamed. Cisco cheered. "I got it! I got it!" Caitlin leaped to her feet, pressing wads of gauze to the blood that start flowing down Lisa's neck.

"Ok, ok, this doesn't look bad," she said. "Just a couple of stitches and you'll be ok."

"And some ice," Averey groaned in response to the crushing grip on her hand.

"Good think my brother has that Cold Gun, huh?" Lisa asked with a weak laugh. She blinked rapidly, tears at the corner of her eyes. Despite her best attempts, a tear or two rolled down her cheeks.

"Lisa is safe," Barry said to Snart. "We got the bomb out of her. Lewis can't control you anymore."

Lewis let out a scream of rage. He took one step towards Barry before turning on his son. "I didn't need you, anyway," he snarled as a black mass suddenly appeared in the corner of the room. "I always have a back up plan. There was a reason your mother and I had another kid. Parents always say their kids aren't disappointments. Sometimes they're just lying."

"What is that?" Lisa asked, startled.

"Shadow Thief," Averey replied. Removing her hand from Lisa's she slammed them down onto the counter. "He's still working with Lewis."

"What is he getting out of it, though?" Caitlin asked.

"Some bling, apparently," Cisco said, aghast.

"He must have thought Lenny wasn't going to do his bidding," Lisa said quietly. "He was going to get rid of him, too. If he could put a bomb in me…" She swallowed. "He already had a new partner lined up."

The black mass slowly pulled in on itself, growing tighter and tighter. It took on the shape of a man. The blackness pulled back, revealing a man's face. A man with a pointed black goatee and a sinister smile. Smiling in triumph at the tray of diamonds he held in his hands.

"Good work, m'boy," Lewis said, reaching for the tray. "At least there's someone around here that knows how to follow directions, huh?" Shadow Thief didn't move. He didn't need to, for Lewis's free hand dropped limply by his side. The detonator fell from his other hand, and he dropped to his knees. He reached for the giant icicle sticking out of his chest.

"Oh my god," Barry breathed.

Lewis fell forward onto his chest, the ice shard pushed up further into the air. Snart glared down at his father, face unwavering. Shadow Thief stepped backwards into the corner, disappearing into the darkness around him.

S.T.A.R. Labs was silent. Only the alarm from Goldwyn Tower could be heard.

"That's what you get," Averey said quietly. When did her hands curl into fists? The medical tape was crushed in her hand. Her fingers pushed into her palms.

It was Leonard Snart for crying out loud. Why was she so surprised? He killed in cold blood. He never hesitated to use his Cold Gun. If she were being honest, she might have used it herself if she were there, collateral damage be damned. That's how a father chose to treat his kids? Unloving? Ungrateful? With threats? They were his flesh and blood.

Cisco admonished her with an, "Ave."

"I'm just saying, if he didn't want a bloody ice stalactite through his chest," Averey said, a burst of anger suddenly hitting her, "maybe he should have been a better father."

"Averey!"

"What?!" Averey whirled around to face Cisco, who's head was angled towards Lisa. It didn't make sense. Fathers weren't supposed to hold kids at arm's length like that. Bowing her head, she busied herself with handing Caitlin strips of tape. Her cheeks flushed.

"No," Lisa said, staring down at the picture of her dead father, "no, it's ok. She's right." A lone tear slid down her cheek, and she sniffed. A second later, she let out an odd laugh. "Do you know how many times Lenny and I talked about what life would be like without him? How often we dreamt about it?" She used her arm to wipe at her tears. "I used to be told there was no point in dreaming, you'd only be disappointed. That's not really true, is it?"

"Yeah, but now you have to do it all without your brother," Caitlin said gently. Fingers stained with blood, she carefully taped a patch of gauze to Lisa's neck. "You know he has to go to Iron Heights now."

Lisa offered a fleeting, confident smile. "For now." She got to her feet, licking away the tears that reached the corner of her mouth. "Thank you, all. I mean it. Lenny has always been the one who's saved me. I'm glad I got the chance to do it for him this time. Excuse me." Head held high, she strode out of the Cortex.

"I'll go make sure this bomb is actually neutralized," Cisco said after a moment of silence. He tilted his head back and said to the ceiling, "Good work, Barry."

"I'll clean this up." Caitlin left the room, too.

Averey stayed put. Licking her lips, she leaned her arms on the computer table, staring at the image of Lewis's lifeless body. It was another fifteen minutes until she stopped shaking.

* * *

 **A/N:** Happy 2019. My first update of the year, and I just squeezed this in at the last moment to get it in by the end of the first month. I apologize for the long wait for this chapter, so I give you a long chapter to make up for it. A lot happened here. You see how Jay and Malcolm met and the start of their partnership, a look at why Malcolm is doing what he's doing, Iris letting it known how she felt after Eddie's sacrifice, and you see that Averey has soaked up more from her life in the gang than she initially realized.

I said this last year, but I really do aim to have my fics updated more frequently and I think a way to go about that is to stop stressing about writing so much. With this chapter specifically, the last scene I had written was the first I had planned out when I was deciding how a fic for season two would go as Averey's story continued, so I found myself editing a lot as I went trying to get it perfect instead of just letting it write itself. Once I stopped putting so much pressure on myself, I was able to finish this chapter. I hope you all liked how it turned out.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Need further explanation on anything. Leave a comment.

-Rhuben

.

 **Review Replies:**

 _Ethan:_ Averey and Lisa's interactions in the last chapter and in this one isn't the end. At this moment, and you'll see in the next chapter, Averey's come to understand Lisa a little bit more. Thanks for sticking with this story.

 _gods-own:_ Thank you so much for your kind words.

 _jackdauphinais:_ Yes, Eddie did survive the singularity. Thanks for taking the time to read.


	18. Working Class Hero

**Chapter Eighteen:** Working Class Hero

* * *

Glass crunched underneath Iris's feet as she stepped through the darkened halls of the damaged Baldwin Towers. It had certainly seen better days before the singularity. Plastic sheeting gently blew in the soft night breeze, adding to the sound of eerie sound of the building settling for the night. Compared to her co-worker, Leighton, who was walking ahead of her with a purpose, arms swinging so far it was almost like he was marching, she stepped slowly and carefully around the trashed building.

It wasn't everyday they were meeting sources this late at night, in a sketchy building. It was important to be careful in case anything was to go wrong. Good sources were hard to come by so you went anywhere you could to get them. Even then, it was smart to keep your wits about you and to make sure you knew where all of the nearest exits were.

"Come on," Leighton called over his shoulder, "or we're going to be late. Punctuality is important, Miss West. Not everyone can have the Flash come to them in the snap of their fingers."

Iris picked up the pace, maneuvering around a set of saw horses, all the while biting back a retort. She was still one of the newest hires at the Central City Picture News, so in a way, she knew she had to keep her working relationships as professional and civil as possible.

But she didn't need to be reminded of the importance of punctuality. You couldn't live with, or even know someone like Barry Allen, and not have witnessed the result of being late to something. But Leighton was one of the top reporters on the paper. She'd be foolish not to soak up as much tips and tricks from him as possible.

"I know I didn't take the traditional route to being hired," Iris said to Leighton's back, "but I still want to be the best I can in this position."

Leighton snorted. "I suppose everyone has to write a fluff piece or two every now and then," he said.

Iris bristled. "They're not fluff pieces," she said, her voice loud in the otherwise silent room. "I put a lot of hard work and research into anything I write about the Flash. I get police reports—"

"Your dad's a cop," Leighton said, turning to face her, "and so was that guy you were dating. And your foster brother, or whatever, works for the police, too. Of course you can gain access to them."

"I work just as hard as anybody else," Iris said. "I pitch ideas I'm passionate about, I back up any story I write with as much facts and primary sources as I can. I'm not going to apologize for the jobs my family have." Thought her stomach did twist slightly at his words. She had been able to look at files and information she was sure others probably wouldn't ever be able to gain access too lest they attended a press conference. "And people deserve to know what's really going on in this city. If that means knowing how the Flash is keeping us safe, then I will report on it. People want to know about him."

"Yes, but why do _you_?" Iris nearly walked right into Leighton, he stopped so suddenly. "No one knows who the guy is, and you don't see news articles about every single good thing that goes on in this city. So, why is this Flash any different?"

"Because he's not like us, you and me, and everyone else on the street." They just had a Flash Day celebration, how many times would she have to explain this to people? What was so bad about a man who went out of his way to save people he didn't know? "He can do extraordinary things, and he does it for the city without any thanks."

Leighton let out a single, loud, "Ha!" He shook his head back and forth, giving her a smile she wasn't sure how exactly to interpret. "Nothing in life is free, Miss West. The Flash does not save people out of the goodness of his heart."

Iris stared at him, dumbfounded. If only he knew the real man behind the mask. Barry Allen was a hero through and through. "Of course he does," she insisted. "He doesn't want to see anyone get hurt. He'll do whatever

"Which is exactly what the police, fire fighters, the FBI, all trained professionals will do," Leighton said. "Only they don't get an article every time they breathe, do they? The Flash isn't doing anything they aren't. It's just faster." He turned on his heels and continued through the open floor. "That doesn't make him special."

"What do you have against metas?" Iris asked his back, starting to follow behind him again.

"They think they can get ahead in life just because they can do things others can't," Leighton replied, never breaking his stride. "Who was it that got to decide who got special abilities and who were stuck having to adjust for them?"

"So, what?" Iris asked. "You're jealous?"

"No, I just believe in good old-fashioned hard work," Leighton replied. "No leg ups, no special treatment."

Iris decided then and there to drop the subject. She was too close to the situation. Barry was the Flash, Caitlin and Cisco were partially responsible for giving metas their abilities to begin with, and she had listened to Eddie discuss his feelings regarding metahumans when he initially wanted to create the Anti-Metahuman Task Force. Back when Eddie had the same feelings Leighton did about the Flash; that he was taking the jobs away from others who had spent years training and working to become better servicemen and women. She could see all sides, and it was just too messy.

"Ah, here we are."

Reaching into her pocket, Iris checked one last time to make sure she had her recorder, her phone, her notes pad and a couple of pens. It never hurt to be prepared. Handwriting notes may be old fashioned, and didn't always accurately convey tone or precise words, but she was still able to get the job done. And the first thing she wrote down was her first impressions of the two men they came across: incredibly well dressed. She wasn't in sweats and a t-shirt herself, having left directly from work, but this was still too much for how cluttered and messy the area was. She had already made a mental note to instantly throw her clothes into the wash if she thought they were salvageable.

"Make sure you're getting all of this," Leighton said, rolling down the sleeves of his shirt. He made sure to button them and smoothed his hands down the front of his shirt. Iris quickly reached for her phone and opened her recorder app as Leighton introduced himself and Iris to the two men. "Hi, you must be Misters Keoghan and Banks?"

The man to the right, Mr. Keoghan, with a full mustache and goatee combination was the first to step forward and shake their hands. "We understand you had a few questions for us?" he asked evenly. His eyes shifted back and forth between the two of them.

"We can get the first one out of the way," Mr. Banks said, "we're not sure when we'll have this housing project completed, but we're working as quickly as we can to get families back in here." His lips parted into a relaxed grin. "I'm sure the excitement of living in a hotel wears off pretty quickly."

"Maybe you could get the Flash to come around and help us," Mr. Keoghan said to Iris.

"Ummm." She had said repeatedly on her blog and in her initial news articles that the Flash had always come to her. Would asking for a personal favor be taking advantage of another situation only she could ever be in? She knew Barry would without a doubt do everything he could to help her, but he and the Flash really were two different people.

She knew Barry Allen as the insanely perceptive man that cared everyone around him with a fierce passion. Every hill he faced, he climbed it with determination. He was a hard worker, and while his duties were being split in all matters, he was still deemed reliable because of his impeccable attention to detail and affinity to working until the job was done, even if it meant working late. No matter what, even if he tried and failed, he kept moving.

The Flash was way more confident. Even cocky at times. And, in some ways, more fun than Barry. Who wouldn't think life was a breeze if you could run faster than the wind could blow? On the other hand, he would put so much of himself and his heart into a meta encounter that if things weren't as easy as he thought it initially would be, he would break down. Feel like all hope was lost. But that made him even more human than meta.

And, no one could ever believe that "Always Late Allen" could be the "Fastest Man Alive." If she hadn't witnessed just how late Barry could be on a normal basis, she would think that he was doing it on purpose so no one would ever think he was the Flash.

 _Maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask him to speed up the rebuilding of the city?_ Iris thought to herself. Noticing everyone staring at her, she reacted with a start. "I certainly can try, everyone could use the help," she said, pushing a smile to her face. She wasn't even sure if Barry continued to work on Central City after everything with this so-called Zoom that started to go down!

"And what better way to rebuild families, and lives than by giving them better accommodations for housing?" Mr. Banks asked.

"This does all seem pretty extravagant," Leighton commented, looking around the room. "We've seen the proposed plans and were not quite sure anyone would be able to afford to start over here."

"Everything new will always be that much more exciting compared to what you already have," Mr. Keoghan explained. "We're determined to get everyone back to their residences as soon as possible. Everybody deserves their own homes, apartments. We've given them opportunities to look at the plans and the layouts for the kinds of rooms being offered."

"By making them pay?" Iris asked. "What if I told you, sirs, that there have been rumors that former residents have needed to pay to gain access to this site."

"It's a very dangerous site," Mr. Keoghan quickly explained. Iris noticed his slight shift in weight, the ground crunching under his shoes as he did so. He slowly slid his hands into his pockets. Mr. Banks, on the other hand, only shifted his gaze to her phone for a fraction of a second. "We don't always get clearance to allow anyone in here, we want to make sure those who wish to view the progress can. However, we do not take money from anyone to do so."

"You have also not provided adequate safety measurements while we've been on site," Iris said. Leighton stared at her. She wasn't sure if he was impressed or not. But she always came prepared, and had this article pitch planned for ages. She had done he research. "No hard hats, no steel toed boots. We are here in the evening where there has not been adequate light provided for the site."

"We have walked the area many times clearing out any potential hazards in preparation for your visit, miss," Mr. Banks said.

"Not in those clothes you haven't," Iris shot back. The two men shifted again. Leighton slowly frowned. "You look like men who enjoy the finer things; considering the luxury of this building, I'm not surprised. However, I have a hard time believing that you would want to risk getting clothes, that have clearly been tailored for you, torn or dirty. You're upstanding businessmen, you like to make a good impression." She moved closer to the two men, inching her phone closer to them.

"Iris," Leighton said in a low, warning tone.

"Because then it would be easier for you to make others believe it was their idea to pay you up front," she continued. "Or, for some, to pay you to ensure that they have an apartment to return to. All the while, kicking families out of ones they've already been living in, if they don't pay you to hold their spot."

"I'm not sure where you've gotten your information, Miss West, but that is not how we conduct our business."

"There are policies and procedures that have not been followed, so excuse me for having a hard time believing you," Iris said with an over the top smile. "We never signed in anywhere so you could keep track of visitors. What if we were vandals? We want to make sure you don't get in trouble if either of us were to hurt ourselves. Your supervisors, I'm sure, would want to know who had set foot on your site."

She could see suspicion growing on the men's faces, and wariness on Leighton's, but Iris couldn't stop herself. This was her chance. She needed to get all of the information she could get. Those poor people being taken advantage of and having their lives torn apart even more than the singularity? If this was how she could help the city move forward, then she would do it.

"If we didn't introduce ourselves, would you actually know we were reporters with CCPN? We could be your competition and you let us walk right in with cameras on our phones, we could take pictures of your entire business plan and process and do it better. We never showed you our ID's or anything…" The end of her sentence trailed off awkwardly as, with a sinking feeling, Iris suddenly realized that the men had never produced any sort of identification, either. It was Leighton that had questioned if they were, in fact, who they said they were.

"Those don't sound like questions, Miss West," Mr. Keoghan said quietly. Leighton audibly swallowed. "Relax. I'm just trying to move things back on track. This e-mail I received said we'd be discussing something completely different." With long, thin fingers, he started to unbutton his coat. "Check to see if you have it, too."

Blood started pounding in Iris's ears. Her collar suddenly felt tight, trapping all of the heat that suddenly rushed up her body in one spot. Her scalp started to itch. She was sure everyone could smell the panic-sweat that suddenly rushed to her armpits. Iris did not like the look the two men just shot each other. They were too in control of the situation. Too calm. Slowly, she put her phone back into her pocket.

Leighton turned and ran, briefly gripping Iris's elbow to pull her behind him. Her phone caught in her pocket, pulling her to the side. Iris lost her balance and hit the ground hard, absorbing most of the blow with her shoulder. She could hear Leighton's hitched, frightened breath, and footsteps quickly disappear. Iris freed her hand from her pocket and scrambled to her feet, running as fast as she could over the loose grit covered flooring.

A scream tore from her throat when a loud _pop_ echoed around the room, followed by repeated cracks. As she rounded a corner, the pillar by her head burst open, sending shards flying into her face. Her face stung and she blinked repeatedly in an attempt to get whatever was stuck in it out. She ran and kept running, turning at every hall she came to, praying that one of gunshots behind her didn't strike her down. Sliding around one more corner, she came to a stop, scrambling for her phone. Hands shaking so bad she nearly dropped the phone, she quickly brought up her call log.

"I think she went this way!"

"Find her!"

Another _crack_ made her jump and she scrambled to keep her phone in her hands—

Barry grabbed Iris's elbow, gaping at her. "And that's when you called me?" Barry asked, staring at Iris, eyes wide in shock. Lifting her glass to her mouth, Iris quickly tilted her head back and downed her ordered drink.

"That's when I called you," she agreed after swallowing. She made a face when the alcohol hit her stomach. "I told you, you wouldn't believe what happened to me tonight."

"That blows my story completely out of the water," Barry said with a shake of his head.

"I doubt that." Iris waved away the thought. "I wouldn't go that far, Barry. You do extraordinary things every day. More than what anybody would ever experience. I mean…." She looked around, making sure they weren't over heard. Not that she really had to worry about it.

The bar was packed with people, loud music, and loud conversation. No one was paying any attention to them, just their drinks. Cisco was doing a pretty great combination of the two, performing an odd, yet fluid shimmy across the dance floor, drink clutched tightly in his hand. For someone who had already hit two bards before Iris joined them at the third, he was holding himself up well.

Gazing past him, Iris's gaze landed on Caitlin and Dante, who Iris was surprised to see, sharing a table, watching him. They both looked amused, yet watchful at the same time. At least whenever Dante would pull his gaze away from whatever game was playing on the TV, did he seem to be looking out for his brother.

"Snart actually killed his dad?" Iris asked, turning back to Barry. "Just like that?"

"I-" Barry scoffed, slowly shaking his head back and forth, "I couldn't believe it, either. I don't think I could ever get to that point with my parents, no matter how angry I was, or could ever get, at them."

"As far as either of them are concerned, it sounds like they didn't even view Leonard as their parent by that point," Iris said, shaking her head back and forth. "I kind of feel bad for them. I couldn't imagine not having my dad." A hand flew up to cover her mouth a second later. "I'm sorry, Bare."

"You never have to apologize to me, Iris, you know that." Barry earnestly looked into her eyes. "For anything. I understand what you're saying. You know I wouldn't ever want you to experience life without your dad. And I know I wouldn't be here now if I didn't have Joe, either." Iris gave him a relaxed smile of thanks. Still, she could see some sort of hurt and pain in his eyes.

What exactly was the cause of it, she wasn't sure. The loss of his mother, which she knew he would feel that pain for the rest of his life, and the world knowing that his father was imprisoned for it? Or was it that lingering feeling of guilt and accepting responsibility for what happened to Eddie, and Ronnie, and setting the ball in motion to creating the metas in the first place?

Iris busied herself with flagging down the bartender to get another drink. Barry shifted on the stool next to her as a weird kind of silence grew between the two of them. She may help keep Central City informed of how the Flash was helping them, but at the moment she couldn't think of any string of words that would help ease him of the continuously growing weight settling on his shoulders.

"And what did Shadow Thief have to do with it?" Iris asked. "I still don't understand that part."

"Who knows?" Barry asked, throwing his hands into the air. "Leonard accepts outside help only when he really needs it. Even then, he'll get rid of them just like _that_." He snapped his fingers to prove his point. "Maybe they were threatened, too?" A thoughtful look appeared on his face. "He might have had a tracker surgically implanted in him, too. If not a bomb." He gripped handfuls of his hair, a pained expression coming to his face. "If it's not one thing, it's another. Zoom and Belle Reve."

"We don't really know if those two things are for sure related, though," Iris reminded him. "I mean, we haven't seen or heard any more about this Zoom, and just because Mercury Labs is helping finance a research institution for metas doesn't mean that it's another Belle Reve." She grasped his elbow with her hands, rubbing soothing circles over his skin with her thumbs. "We can't jump to conclusions without all of the facts. Once we have a better understanding of things, then we can figure out how to solve it. Just one minute at a time, ok?"

Barry gave a wry smile. "Iris, I can move super-fast," he reminded her. "To me, a second is like an eternity."

"Well, maybe we should all start making those eternities count," she pointed out.

"Wow." Barry gave her an amused look and Iris couldn't help but start laughing. "You just sounded like a greeting card; you know?"

"Oh, shut up!" Iris removed her hands from his arm and shoved his shoulder. "I did not."

"'We need to make every eternity count'," Barry mocked in a high-pitched voice. "Unbelievable."

"I don't sound like that."

"Yeah, ok." Iris gaped at him. "What? Iris, I've lived with you for years, I think I know what you sound like by now." Crossing her arms over her chest, Iris closed her mouth. She traced her tongue along the inside of her lips. There was no point in arguing. Barry was right, he knew her well. Better than anyone. So he should know the look of concern he was giving her right now was absolutely melting her heart. "Are you sure you're ok? I mean, that guy left you there."

"We can't all be brave enough to run towards danger," Iris said, uncrossing her arms. "I don't blame Leighton for leaving, Barry. I really don't. I eventually caught up to him. I 'm just glad we're both OK." Barry continued to gaze upon her with concern. "Shoot, after reading all those pamphlets at college about what to do if a plane crashed, or there was an active shooter, I had declared then and there it was every man for themselves." She attempted to lighten the mood with a soft smile. "For someone who just threw themselves out of Baldwin Towers, yes, I'm fine." She lifted a hand to push her fingers through her hair and felt the edges of some of the scrapes that dotted her face.

Barry gave her a 'you did not just say that' look. "I needed you out of there," he said defensively. "And I knew I'd catch you before you hit the ground. You bought me some extra time with the way you jumped out, anyway."

"As if you needed that extra time," Iris teased. The two of them laughed. "I missed this, Bare. I missed us. Being able to talk and joke like this."

"Yeah, we haven't, uh, really been in sync lately, have we?" Barry asked. "You zig, I zag."

"I walk, you _woosh_."

Barry's eyebrows shot up. "Is that what we're going with now?"

"Yeah, I think so." Iris bobbed her head in a nod. "Just don't ever get so far ahead of me that I can't catch up, ok?" Iris rolled her eyes when Barry hunched over the bar. His shoulders shook as he laughed. She hit him on the shoulder with her fist. "Stop laughing!" Using one hand, Iris pushed her hair back from her face. "It's the alcohol, I swear. Man, I really needed it tonight."

"You know what?" Barry lifted his head. "I think we all did." He grasped his glass and spun his ice around the bottom of the glass. "Sometimes, I forget that we're not just taking on metas. We've got our own things we need to pay attention to, too. And at times we need a break, even from that."

"Don't I know it." Her words must have come out with more exhaustion, and negativity than she intended for Barry's eyebrows pulled towards each other. His frown deepened, and he turned on his stool to face her.

"You ok?" His lips twitched. "Things going ok with Eddie, or…?"

"Um." Iris hesitated for a moment. She didn't even tell Barr that she and Eddie had been re-engaged, or even engaged in the first place. How was she to tell him that she had taken an important step in her life and never once brought it up? "It's ok. It takes some time, you know, to slide back into things with someone you thought was dead for the past six months."

"I was in my coma for nine months and we just picked up right where we left off."

 _Because you're different. It's always been different with us._ Iris shrugged. "You weren't dead."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Barry said sarcastically, yet with a smile on his face, "I didn't realize there was a criteria for this sort of thing." He leaned out of the way when Iris moved to shove him again. "But I mean, good. It's good—it's _great_ that he's back. He didn't even miss a beat at work. Although, I don't think he was too receptive of Patty. Which is kind of a shame, because she's a great addition to the Task Force. She's very determined and gives more than 100% to whatever task she's given."

Iris perked up at the mention of the name. This wasn't the first time she had heard her name mentioned, but it was the first time she had heard him talk about her as more than a passing comment. It was also the first time in a long time she had seen this look on his face. A look she couldn't quite decipher. It was almost like she was back in elementary school, trying to wheedle the identification of his crush out of him, and he would stay tight lipped, trying to keep his face as neutral as possible.

"You know I never blamed you for what happened," Iris said, quickly changing the subject. "With Eddie, I mean."

"I know." Barry ran a hand over his face. "God, Iris, I know, and I thank you so much for that. Truly. No matter what's happened, you've never thought any different of me."

"How could I?" Iris asked. "No matter what, you're always going to be Barry." Barry shared her smile before he turned his attention to Cisco who suddenly stumbled into the two of them.

"Hey, guys!" he greeted, throwing his arms across their shoulders. "Isn't this fun? I'm having so much fun. This was a great idea." Eyes wide, Iris looked past Cisco's mop of dark hair to Barry who was taking on the brunt of Cisco's ever shifting weight. "You know what's more fun?"

"Drinking some water?" Iris asked and Cisco giggled, nodding his head.

"Yeahh, yeahh, but also," Cisco swallowed thickly, "going fast. Like, _vroom,_ running. Let's go for a run." He removed his arm from Iris's shoulders and pointed over his left shoulder, doing an odd spin that made him lose his balance. Iris and Barry reached for him, but he slipped out of their hands, stumbling back. He caught himself against the edge of the bar and leaned back against it, pushing his hair out of his flushed face. "Away from them."

Iris spun around on her chair, craning her neck to see a group of big, muscular men making their way through the dancing crowd towards them. "What did you do?"

"Apparently, bikers are really territorial about their bikes," Cisco replied. He put a hand to his chest. "I put a lot of love into my bike. Every fall, every mud puddle, it took me to so many places." Iris stared at him, watching his eyes grow misty.

"Ok, let's just go," Iris said, patting Cisco on the shoulder. "I think you've had a great night already, bud."

"Good idea." Barry looked around before holding Cisco's phone and keys out to Iris. "I don't think he's going to be needing this for a bit. Hold on to them just in case?"

"Wait, how did you-?"

"Oh, yeah, Lisa and Ave taught me how to pickpocket someone." Iris stared at him when he shrugged his shoulders. "Figured I might as well put it to good use."

"They taught you how to—?"

"Yeah, I used you as a staller." Iris's surprise turned to confusion. "Now's not the time, Iris. Cover me, and I can get Cisco out of here pretty quickly."

"Bare, look around you," Iris said, waving her hand in the air. She bent to the side and reached for her purse, putting Cisco's phone and keys inside. "These people are so drunk I don't think they'll even remember seeing the Flash around here tomorrow morning." Barry angled his head, eyebrows shifting upwards, lips pulling downwards in a look that indicated that she had made a good point. A second later, he rushed Cisco out of the bar.

Iris slipped her way past the group of men trying to shove their way across the packed dance floor and over to Caitlin and Dante. "Hey, guys, sorry to wrap this up, but we gotta go." Iris pointed over her shoulders with her thumbs. "Cisco may have pissed off a bunch of bikers."

Dante's eyes, which were stuck on the tv screens across the bar, flickered over to her. They narrowed slightly. "How does he always get himself into trouble?" he said more to himself, shaking his head back and forth. Caitlin silently exchanged glances with Iris. Unlike Dante, she immediately moved to get out of her seat, checking that she still had her purse and belongings with her. "Let me just see if this team will get a first down."

"Seriously?" Iris asked.

"It's going to take me ages to get out of here because of my knee." Dante slapped his hand against the brace in question. "It won't make a difference if I catch one more first down attempt by the Cougars. Just five, ten more minutes." Iris looked at the TV screens and took in the sight of a mass of football players crushing into each other. She didn't get sports at all, but in the back of her mind knew that Linda would be having a great time covering the game. She was supposed to have a drink with her, too. "If you want to take care of my brother, go right ahead. But he needs to learn how to get himself out of whatever he gets himself into."

"Cisco has been doing a pretty good job of that," Caitlin said coolly, pulling the strap of her purse over her head.

Dante reached for his glass. "Last I checked that boot of his, or whatever, didn't really do anything to stop that meta at the Flash Day rally," he replied. "The Flash helped him out in both cases." He tilted his head to the side. "Why should that be different now?"

"I thought things were starting to work out between them," Iris said to Caitlin out of the side of her mouth as they headed towards .

"So did I," Caitlin replied. "The more things change, the more they stay the same, I suppose."

Iris glanced back at Dante one more time. He was slowly getting to his feet, eyes transfixed on the tv screen. A swell of shouts hit the air, and Dante's jaw clenched. He slapped a hand down onto the table before curling his fingers into a tight fist. Slowly, he relaxed his hand and started to get up from the table.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" she said, turning back to Caitlin as they stepped outside. The cool night air hit the two of them and Iris let out a sigh.

"I'll take Dante home, but I told Barry to take Cisco to S.T.A.R. Labs. I'll see if I can come up with anything to help Cisco's hangover," Caitlin explained. "Plus, with Dante's knee, and clearly some tension still between them, I don't think it's a great idea if the spend the rest of the night together."

"Good idea," Iris said. "Here, I better give you Cisco's stuff." Caitlin thanked her and Iris reached into her purse to hand over his belongings. She noticed the face of her phone was lit up and receiving a call. "Oh, shoot! I was supposed to call Eddie and let him know after I was done interviewing those guys." She lifted her hand in a distracted wave goodbye and took a few steps away from Caitlin to answer the call. "Hey, Eddie. I'm sorry, I know I was supposed to call you. Just…a lot of things happened, and I ended up going to the bar with Barry, Caitlin, Cisco, and his brother."

"It's ok," Eddie replied. "Hope you had a fun night. I was just checking in."

Iris blinked in surprise but kept her attention on her phone. Eddie may have buried the hatched with Barry a while ago, but she could tell that there had still been some underlying tension between them on Eddie's side. Tension that Iris no longer heard in Eddie's voice. And a part of her wasn't sure if she was supposed to be relieved about that.

A part of her reasoned that it simply just wasn't like him.

* * *

Cisco squinted against the bright lights of the Cortex, desperate for any bit of shade he could get save for burying his face into his arms. At the moment, he was glad he wasn't living in Keystone, a place that was more of a concrete jungle than anything. With all of the buildings in Central City, the windows reflected stronger light than an industrial tanning bed. With his slowly dissipating headache, and heavy limbs, more light was the last thing he needed.

But the Jitters coffee that was placed in arm's reach of him was like a homing beacon to him and he perked up enough to clutch it protectively to his chest. "Oh, thank god," he grumbled, somehow managing to speak around his cotton mouth.

"No offense, mate, but you look terrible. Did you sleep here last night?" Cisco cracked open one eye to look at Averey, who he was surprised to see. At his inquisitive look, Averey said, "Caitlin filled me in on what you got up to last night and I thought you'd need it. I only needed to help with deliveries at Jitters this morning, and am working with dad at the construction site later. I got a drink for Caitlin, too."

"My wallet's…" Cisco settled back in his chair. His brain a fog. He looked around the Cortex, squinting into every corner. He lazily waved a hand in the air, settling back in his seat. "Somewhere." He waved his free arm over his head. "Doesn't your dad normally drive you?"

"I convinced him that he can trust me enough to get to work on time."

Cisco squinted at her before putting his face back down onto the table. "Too many drinks," he groaned.

"Sounds like my kind of night," Lisa commented. She stepped into the Cortex, zipping up her leather jacket. "I'm disappointed, Cisco. No invite at all?" Her red lips parted into a devilish smile. "Experience shows that you and I could have had a wild night." Cisco allowed himself to smile.

Averey's eyes shifted upwards for a brief moment. "Looks like he's already had one, hey," Averey commented. Lisa chuckled.

"Kind of a last-minute decision," Cisco said, using his feet to spin his chair around to face the two women. Life was unfair. Two women he had some sort of connection with and someone up there had a reason to take it away from him. They also must have had a peculiar sense of humor if they were sticking them in the same room together. Again. "Figured you'd be out of here by now. You've never been the type to stick around long enough."

"Yeah, well, I've also never been the type to ask for help," Lisa replied. She was silent for a moment and shifted her weight back and forth on her feet, "or to say, 'thank you'. You had no reason to help me or Lenny."

"I'll have you know that this game came out on VR not too long ago about disarming a bomb that I've become, well, pretty bomb at," Cisco said with proud smile, "so I knew I could handle this." Then his smile faded slightly. "We weren't that successful with the last bomb we faced so…" He cleared his throat. "Figured we needed to make up the difference somewhere."

"I wasn't thanking you for that," Lisa said, "though that does give me some confidence in your abilities." Cisco didn't miss the sarcasm in her voice, just slightly peeking through the light tone in her voice. Then a softer, almost embarrassed, expression crossed Lisa's face. "I'm, um, actually thanking you all for seeing me, I guess. You especially, Cisco."

"It was no big deal," Cisco said with a shrug.

"Yes, it was," Lisa insisted. "You all didn't have to believe me, but you did. I don't know why, either, because I know I was just a criminal when I came here. It could have all been a trick. I'm not going to forget it any time soon." She made a face. "Now you've got me being all mushy."

"Or," Cisco said, pointing a finger at her, "you're letting the real Lisa out."

"Well, maybe I've gotten the chance to see what Lisa might have been like without all of this crap." Lisa rolled her head on her neck, landing her gaze on Averey. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." Averey said it as more of a question, regarding Lisa with the same cautious, yet curious look that Lisa was giving her.

Cisco looked back and forth between the two women. It was funny, he used to have fantasies about having two girls not only interested in him but fighting each other for him. He was only human. What other guy hadn't thought of that to some extent? Call him a nerd all you wanted, but this was more interesting to him: more than likely despite, he was sure, how much the two didn't want to recognize it, they were Lisa and Averey were similar.

One grew up with a rough childhood, the other with two doting parents. Yet, they both wound up on "the wrong side of the law" in one way or the other. One thought it was their right to take what was never given to her and found it fun thinking of the many different ways to do so. The other who saw criminal activity as something they wanted to put behind them yet could view it as a means to justify the ends. One with their own wits to back them other, the other with enhanced abilities. Both who were willing to do whatever it took to help their family, no matter the cost, and no matter what it took.

"Why are you doing this hero thing with Barry?" Lisa asked. "Because me and Lenny? Well, I guess you could say I didn't know any better." Lisa shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "But you grew up differently. You have parents, you have everyone pulling for you, so why are you continuing to play Jekyll and Hyde?"

Averey blinked. "That's a bit of a stretch, yeah?"

Cisco shifted in his seat, squeezing his hands together to try and rid them of a sudden pins and needles feeling. Even as a kid he thought it would be cool to be a superhero. Maybe he wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider, but he had been given the ability to do _something._ Wasn't that enough of an opportunity to live out a childhood dream? _In a manner of speaking, you were given your abilities by your hero_ , he reasoned with himself. _Whatever those abilities really are._ On the other hand, he, like Barry, just couldn't get past the fact that Eobard Thawne had played them all for fools.

And he was supposed to be intelligent. In fact, Eobard had reminded him of that, and praised him countless times over it. Looking back on it, he wondered to what extent Eobard had lied. More than likely, everything. But, still. Why give anyone, let alone his family, the satisfaction in knowing that his defense of the man was all for naught? His humiliation, he was sure, would keep Dante going for a while.

"I don't blame you for tiptoeing that line, it is kind of fun, you have to admit," Lisa said.

"And that's why you were just so tickled to help us, right?" Averey asked with a half-smile.

"I'm just curious to know why someone like you is still doing this," Lisa shrugged, unlike me, you've got a lot going for you. People who care about you."

Averey's lips twitched. "You've got someone who cares about you, too."

Snart was the obvious answer, and still Lisa let out a laugh, shaking her head and said, "Who, Mick? The guy who ran off the first chance he got?" Even Cisco cracked a smile. "Or dear old dad? The man who, after a while, couldn't tell you the difference between a bottle and a woman? If it disappointed him, he'd throw it out first chance he got leaving everyone else to pick up the pieces." She wetted her lips. "Look, I get it. I know what it's like wanting to impress someone. You try and get their attention to try and show that you turned out a certain way because of past actions, right? Kind of rub it in?"

Cisco certainly agreed with that. How many times had people told him that he wasn't going to get far?

Averey was silent for a moment before she said, "That's eleven questions."

"I don't know how to be any other way. But you do. Because you had someone, two people, looking out for you." Lisa laughed. "Look at me; suddenly I'm the one giving you advice. I think that's my cue to leave. Otherwise, I'm going to find a reason to stick around." She started making her way towards the elevators.

"Let us at least walk you out," Cisco offered, jumping to his feet.

Averey fell into step beside them saying, "Reckon I should ask you a question now."

"Fair's fair." Lisa leaned against the corner of the elevator car, crossing one leg over the other.

Using his free hand, Cisco first pressed the close doors button with his thumb, and then the big round 1.

"Right. You don't seem like the type of person that worries about what's fair."

Lisa shrugged. "Well, If the situation calls for it..." She smiled. "I can play nice. Right, Cisco?"

Cisco's throat burned when his sip of coffee was not only swallowed but coughed back up at the same time. His eyes watered and the tips of his ears burned as the attention was suddenly put on him. Lisa knew exactly how to needle and play coy all at the same time. Whether that was at his expense or Averey's he wasn't sure. The Snarts had a knack for getting a dig in to multiple people when it seemed like their focus was only on one.

Still, he instantly flashed back to the night he met Lisa. Posing as an intelligent woman (which, admittedly wasn't a stretch, because she clearly was smart), who was in the city for Mercury Labs' Symposium. She knew all of right buttons to push to get and keep his attention. Flattery wasn't off the table. And, boy, did it work. Like a chump, he fell for it. And because of that, he put Dante in harm's way, leaving him what looked to be a permanent injury.

How could he be expected to turn around and be a hero after that?

"Sure," he managed to choke out as the elevator came to their floor. He waved them out, following close behind, before he stumbled back as he stepped out into the clear Central City day. Between his frantic blinking, he spotted Lisa staring at him strangely. "Why is it so bright?"

"Hmm. I agree, a shiny new bike is hard to look at, yeah?" Averey asked, sliding her sunglasses down over her face. "Reckon you didn't even break a sweat pinching it."

"It's like they say," Lisa said with an admiring smile towards the motorcycle sitting in the parking lot, "walk with purpose, and no one will question you. A smile here. A touch there. You'd have everyone eating out of the palm of your hand. People always see things your way if you've got enough charisma."

"And if they have a gun pointed in their face," Averey said. Lisa shrugged, batting the notion away with her hand.

Cisco let out a low whistle as he walked a circle around the motorcycle. "And it's gold," he commented, "of course."

"You know I'll only take the finer things in life," Lisa replied. Her smile widened, eyebrows twitching upwards, on the word "take." She swung her leg up over the bike and balanced it long enough to release the kick stand. "It's what I deserve after all." Cisco stilled when Lisa's gaze flickered up and down his torso from head to toe.

A smoldering look he hadn't seen since the night he met Lisa Snart. Even now, it could keep him rooted to the spot, afraid to make even one mistake that would change her opinion of him. He didn't even move when Lisa grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him to her, kissing him. Over the sound of blood rushing to his ears, Cisco could hear Averey let out a combination of a snort and a laugh.

Upon her release (and hard shove to the chest), he stumbled to catch his balance, cheeks burning more than a sip of fresh coffee could ever do. He blinked repeatedly when Lisa swung her hair out of her face, reaching for her motorcycle helmet. She said nonchalantly, "So Jitters _does_ know how to make some decent coffee."

"Are you at least going to say goodbye to your brother before you go?" Averey asked.

"Lenny knows how to find me," Lisa replied, pulling the motorcycle helmet down over her hair. "I'm telling you now, it won't be long before he does. Leonard has never been known to stay in one place. Something else I learned from him, I guess."

"That's why you're leaving," Cisco said, finding his voice, "with Snart in jail, they could be looking at you next." His next thought pieced it all together. With the car she had just stolen the previous night, and this new motorcycle… "You would have been better off leaving last night."

"Nah," Averey said with a shake of her head, "daytime's better. Morning commuters, rushing out to get to work, all the traffic out of the city, it's better to hide in plain sight than try to slip out alone."

Lisa's eyes glittered in response. "Was that your question?"

"No, actually, it's more of a favor," Averey said. Cisco watched, confused, as a friendly smile slide onto Averey's face. "Whenever you get back with Mick and Snart, and I know you will, show those boys whose boss, ok?"

Lisa winked, and with a fluttering of her fingers, she started up the motorcycle and sped off, sliding seamlessly into the flow of traffic. The sound of horns, and screeching tires followed her as she weaved up the street and out of sight.

"What was that about?" Cisco asked her.

Averey lifted an eyebrow and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Mate, I could ask you the same thing," she replied. Cisco opened and closed his mouth but didn't say anything. She had a point. Twisting her mouth to the side, Averey shrugged, and threw a hand into the air. "Hate to admit it, but, Lisa and I are not that different, hey. I could have easily turned out like her. Ruthless. Willing to do anything to get what she wants. Only I know when to stop." She made a clicking sound with her mouth. "Kind of. She doesn't think she can stop. I don't think she wants to, really."

"I thought you didn't like her."

"I don't." Averey turned to face him, and Cisco's confusion deepened. "On some level, we understand each other." She clenched her teeth. "And I _really_ don't like that. Trust me, the first chance she tries anything in Central City again, Visionary would go after her."

"You said you could have turned out like her," Cisco said, "I don't think that's true."

"You don't know that, mate."

"Yes, I do. You're a good person. You have a heart."

Averey laughed. "Lisa has a heart, all right," she replied. Lifting a finger in the air, she half-crossed her arms and pointed at him, face alight with amusement. "In fact, and I don't want to be crass, but she has a major heart on for you, eh."

Cisco tightened his lips, trying hard not to let the smile that wanted to appear on his face. "You can at least admit that the both of you have great taste in men," he said. Averey let out a cross between a snort and a laugh before giving him a wave and a reminder to give Caitlin her coffee. Cisco was alone again.

Looking out over the traffic, he surmised that he had a better chance of turning out like Lisa. Like Averey, he did have two parents, but they weren't around a lot as he grew up due to all the work they took to provide for the family. That was enough unsupervised time to get into trouble as Dante had proven. Armando had soccer, Dante had his music, and Cisco had his education to keep them on the safe side of things. Despite all of that, Dante still had fallen in with a bad crowd.

That could have easily been him: no friends, unpopular, with a strong desire to be accepted the perfect combination and driving force for any and all bad decisions. If his education hadn't taken them to Central City, he might have been next. Then again, his family's praise quickly soured after the accident.

 _All the makings for a future super villain,_ he thought to himself with a shake of his head. Still, working with the Flash was one giant adrenaline rush and Lisa lived off of that feeling. Everything was a rush to her, a high, and there was always that drive to want to continue to push the envelope. To go bigger, and to be better at her work than the day before. To come out on top no matter what. Was he meant to be that kind of meta? Or like Averey: who didn't always walk on the moral high ground, but still protected everyone she cared about to the best of her ability? Cisco realized that she had never answered Lisa's question about why she was working alongside Barry.

Or there was always the third option, and the scariest one of them all; he could be his own kind of hero.

Shaking out one hand, and then the other, (he made a mental note to look into the correlation between hangovers and the pins and needles feeling), Cisco turned to head back into S.T.A.R. Labs only to turn his attention to the car speeding through the parking lot.

Clarissa Stein jumped out of the driver's seat, frantic, and speaking rapidly. Cisco managed to understand "fever," "bruising," and "lethargic," before he made it to the open passenger seat door where Professor Stein was seated with his head alight with blue fire.

Twisting his mouth to the side, Cisco removed the top of his coffee cup and poured it out onto the ground. "Hero time."

* * *

 **Somewhere on Earth-2**

"They're beginning to figure things out."

Jay didn't even bother to dignify Malcolm with any sort of response. Instead, he made his way into the dark room, ignoring the rustling of chains of the metahumans that desperately tried to get away from him. He would have their day with them in no time. There was no where else for them to go. All of their friends and family thought they had left Central City safe and sound, after all.

"He's ready for the procedure," Malcolm called after him.

"Good," Jay replied, dragging out the word in his demonic growl. He burst forward, sending a wave of terrified screams into the air, stopping in the corner of the room. His blue lightning briefly lit up Linda as she stared up at him through the curtain of her hair. "The question is, are you?"

"I am," Linda replied. "Whatever you need."

"Kill the Flash." Jay's neck popped as he tilted his head from side to side. "That is all I need."

"Done."

"And I need proof that it is done. Bring me undeniable proof that he has indeed been destroyed."

Linda slowly got to her feet, keeping her eyes on Jay. He wasn't sure whether it was brave or stupid. Only time would tell if she was the perfect candidate to send out next. "I will kill the Flash for you," she said.

"Others have tried," he warned him. "And others have failed." He spread his arms out to the sides. "Where are they now?" Linda stayed silent, her lips quivering as she swallowed. Jay smiled and allowed a little chuckle to rumble in his chest. "Yes, yes."

"You had enough time to try and buy your way out of Central City," Malcolm said from behind them. He made a clicking sound with his tongue. "All those robberies. I'm sure you had made enough for Obscura to accept your plight, to make a new life for yourself wherever you ended up. But you ended up here. She could not help you. She didn't want to help you."

"By working with us," Jay said, "you're helping yourself. You are creating a world where you no longer have to hide. To run."

"I'll help you," Linda said, getting to her feet. "I promise, I will kill the Flash."

"For your sake, you better." He offered his hand to Linda. With a shaky hand, she placed it into his and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Too roughly. She stumbled and fell to the ground in a heap. He didn't bother to extend his hand a second time. "Now go." Linda scrambled to her feet. "Go with him. And just know that I will know if you fail. And if you fail, I will find you.

Jay opened a breach before pointing a sharp finger in Malcolm's direction. "And you will have wished you made a better decision." Jay looked over the cowering metahumans. "After you get her to the facility, come back here. There's bound to be another group arranging to leave Central City by now. Make sure they don't make it."

"Understood." Malcolm grabbed onto Linda's arm and jumped into the breach.

Jay let out a huff of annoyance. It certainly was true: if you want things done right you had to do it yourself. Sooner rather than later, he would have to take matters into his own hands. Something he should have been doing from the beginning. He was getting impatient. And so was Malcolm. Not that he cared.

He had a doctor to visit.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

After two months I'm back with a new chapter! Yay! It feels good to get back into this. I'm still excited for this fic, and excited for you all to see where this goes but I'm trying not to put so much pressure on myself for how long it takes for me to update. Still, I'm attempting to pick up the pace a bit more here: both in regard to updating, and the overall pacing of this fic.

I'm glad you all liked how I changed things up from the episode in the last chapter and focusing on the girls more. I've always liked changing how things occur in the show in my fics and that will just keep occurring as we continue on. Not to mention, we'll be seeing more of Iris as well. I feel like she was really underutilized in the first couple of season of the show and I'm excited to write more of her and Averey together as well.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Need further explanation on anything? Leave a comment.

-Rhuben

.

 **Review Replies:**

 _gods-own:_ Thanks for continuing to read as always. I know you're curious to see how things are shaping up on Earth-2, and now we're really starting to get into that side of things. I'm excited to see what you think of it.

 _Ethan:_ Oh, I'm so excited for you to see how Iris handles all of this. Shadow Thief starts becoming more prominent with the next chapter. I needed to get Earth-2's Linda on Earth-1 first. You're really picking up on a lot of things here. I like it! Thanks so much for continuing to read this story.


	19. Denial Ain't Just a River

**Chapter Nineteen:** Denial Ain't Just a River

* * *

 **Somewhere in Central City**

Malcolm slowly tilted his head from one side to the other, the material of his navy suit stretching and pulling taught as he did so. He watched as this so called "Dr. Light" squeezed her eyes shut against the fluorescent lights of the otherwise dark room. For someone who relishes in the light so much, she didn't seem to be too much of a fan of it now. Her cheeks were wet with tears. Maybe she was coming to understand what it felt like for others to have a white-hot knife carve into their skin?

Still, she wasn't waking up fast enough. And for someone who could move as quickly as a flame sparking to life, that was way too damn slow. Tucking the manila folder under his arm, pinning it with his elbow, he took slow deliberate steps around the table that Linda sat at. Standing squarely behind her, he gave her chair a hard shove. Sprawling forward, Linda reacted quickly. Her eyes snapped open. The heels of her palms slammed into the edge of the table.

Adapting to her environment. Check, but could use some work. Quick movements. Check, but a tag sluggish. Combined with the ability to emit powerful blasts of light, brighter than anything on the planet Earth, she was going to be a good match for the Flash when she was back to fighting form. There was no room for error.

Malcolm threw the thick manila folder onto the table as Dr. Light adjusted the collar of her gown. The side of her palm bumped the bandage of the back of her neck and sucked in a sharp breath of pain. "What's this?" she asked through clenched teeth. She twisted in her chair to look up into his masked face. She tried to be brave, but he could still see the fear, the uncertainty in her eyes.

Just like they all did.

"You need to know who you're impersonating." Probably not the answer she was looking for, but she didn't need to know everything. Just what he wanted her to know. He planted his palm on the top sheet of paper and slid it closer to Linda. "The other Linda Park; well known in Central City. Not for the reasons you're known here. She's a sports-writer."

"That's boring," Dr. Light commented. She gathered the papers together in her hands and shifted through them. Flipping pages right side up she shuffled through printed articles and pages filled with quick, barely spaced handwriting. The words "graduated with honors", "journalism awards", and "news anchor" jumped out at Malcolm as he watched. Dr. Light rolled her eyes and settled back in her chair.

Malcolm slapped his hands down onto the table. Dr. Light squeezed her eyes shut at the sudden rush of heat amidst the blue flames that erupted up and down his arms. "You can do far better things than what _she_ can," Malcolm said in response to Dr. Light's sudden jump in her chair. She curled in on herself, grimacing as she jerked the muscles in her neck. "Why are _they_ the ones who get the better lives? Why do _we_ have to fight to survive each day? To be looked down upon as if we're _nothing_?"

He peeled his hands from the table and both he and Dr. Light regarded the singed handprints left behind. He encircled his left hand around his right wrist, and pulled down towards his fingertips, gathering the flames as he did. He could feel the heat beneath his fingers, enjoying the warmth he could feel under his fingers. At any moment, he could crank up the heat of the flames, force himself to feel the burning destruction the fire was known for. He turned his hand over, the blue flames forming a ball over his palm. The blue flames flickered in Dr. Light's eyes.

"Zoom is the one this city needs," he said. Curling his fingers, he snuffed out the flames, smoke wafting through the air. "Kill the Flash, and everyone will know that he's not the one to entrust." Dr. Light swallowed. "That he's weak. You had your chance to defy Zoom's orders. Now it is in your best interest to do as told."

Malcolm watched Dr. Light's grip tightened on the folder and papers in her hands. It crinkled and crunched between her fingers. They slowly relaxed when loud knocking was heard on the door. Malcolm on the other hand, his whole body tensed at the noise. A fraction of a second later, he burst into action. Grabbing onto the collar of her gown, Malcolm pulled Dr. Light out of her chair. She scratched at his hands, scrambling to grab a handful of his suit, coughing and gasping for air.

"Shut up," he hissed, throwing her to the floor. Dr. Light curled in on herself, taking in deep shuddering breath after deep shuddering breath. He stared down at her with disdain before crossing the room to the door.

Before opening He didn't open the door right away. He laced his fingers together before extending his arms, stretching his hands. With a _whoosh_ , his hands caught on fire and he brought them towards the mask on his face. Gripping his cowl in his hand, he pulled it back from his head, a rush of cool air hit his face, extending down his body as his suit slowly burned away to be replaced by a button-down shirt, dark pants, and dress shoes.

Malcolm swung open the door. "General Eiling." Even as the sole occupant of the doorway, seemed to fill the space he was in. If Malcolm hadn't already been witness to some of the most egregious stunts by Zoom, he might have been intimidated. "Everything has been a success. Are there any more tests you need to run?"

"No, no, we'll just keep her file and run through the results we have now." General Eiling shoved his hands into his pants pockets and rocked back on his heels. "I wanted to check in, make sure everything was up to your standards, but if you say it was a success, I believe you." He removed a hand from his pocket and clapped Malcolm on the shoulder. Then he sighed and looked in the direction of Dr. Light who was still sniffing and taking shallow breaths on the floor. "Miss Park. You can never tell who people really are, these days, huh?"

"No," Malcolm agreed. He slowly looked General Eiling up and down. "No, you really can't." Past experience showed that while there were large differences between Eilings on different Earths, there was also one constant. Ambition. A drive to succeed. The will to do everything to get what he wanted. Something they had in common. "Thank you."

"Thank your old man," General Eiling said. He cleared his throat and clicked his chin. "I wouldn't have been able to get this funded without him." Malcolm blinked. It was odd. This Eiling actually shared praise.

 _There's a first time for everything,_ he thought to himself. He was living proof. This world didn't know about him, who he was, what he was meant to accomplish. The time would come where they would see it. There would be no mistake that the Thawne name would actually mean something on this god forsaken Earth.

"Is there anything else you needed?" Malcolm asked.

"This was a good find, Thawne, a very good find," Eiling said, eyes starting to glimmer. "With, uh, talents like hers, and more of them out there? I'm getting everything I need and more, believe me."

"As long as you keep doing what I need, I don't see the well drying up any time soon," Malcolm said, offering his hand.

"I've already lost track of one of these metahumans," Eiling said with a deep frown, "I'm not making that mistake again." He scoffed. "That shouldn't have gotten out, and I shouldn't have had to come up with a quick cover up like that."

"Politics 101," Malcolm said with a shrug. "I know that tactic well." So did his family. Enough so that they knew how to make the whole world forget about who he could have been.

General Eiling nodded before stepping back from the door. Declaring that he had other tasks to get back to, he bid Malcolm farewell. Malcolm closed the door with a _click_ and tuned around to face Dr. Light. His fingers twitched at his sides. He had his moment. He could have gotten rid of Eiling like he wanted. But he was following someone else's plan. Steps had to be taken in the right order. Still, how easy would it have been to just conjure up his sword and shove it down the man's throat? Jay's plan had never failed before. Why would this be any different?

"Something tells me, Dr. Light," he said, "that we're going to have a Code Silver soon." Dr. Light slowly rolled onto her side, glaring up at him. "Don't know what that is?" Malcolm slowly shook his head back and forth, clicking his tongue. "And you call yourself a doctor. Well, let's see how precise you are with your hands. I'll get you your suit."

* * *

Cisco placed a hand over his mouth but couldn't hold back the hard yawn that he had successfully been able to push off until that moment. Dropping his phone onto his chest, he stretched his arms high above his head, pointing his toes, tensing every muscle in his body until he relaxed again a moment later, draped over the couch in their apartment.

"Work finally getting to you?" Dante asked from the kitchen, peeling an orange. "Didn't think you'd ever get burned out."

Cisco removed his gaze from the ceiling and rolled his head to set his gaze on his brother. "I'm not burned out, just exhausted," he replied.

"What's the difference?" Dante asked.

"Well, I barely slept all last night, so…" Cisco muttered. "What do you even know about being burned out?"

"You don't know being burned out until you've had to practice your scales over, and over, and over again," Dante commented before he slid a wedge of orange into his mouth. "And even more after that."

Cisco chuckled. "Do you know how tired I got hearing it?" he asked. "Even after your piano lesson, mom would immediately have you practicing as soon as you got home."

Dante lifted an eyebrow as he chewed. "Why do you think I always took my time getting home?" he asked.

Cisco grabbed the top of the couch and lifted himself into a seated position. He moved so fast, his phone slipped off of his stomach and clattered to the floor. He didn't bother to pick it up. " _You_ didn't want to be at home?" he asked. He held back on adding _Where you could be showered with love and attention?_

Then again, even back in Detroit, Dante was one who was constantly lauded for being where he needed to be, and where his parents expected him to be. There was even more fanfare, and talks of being responsible, when he arrived ten minutes early to wherever he needed to go. Even if he didn't want to be there, he was always at the house to look after Cisco if Armando wasn't tasked to look after the two of them. But Cisco had to remember that there was a reason Dante had gotten into money trouble in the first place. If someone as great and self-assured as Dante could wind up deep in the pockets of a man who would do anything to make sure he got paid, this statement couldn't be out of the realm of possibility.

 _Maybe he really didn't like being at home so much,_ Cisco thought to himself. How could he not realize? With Cisco being under his care during the day, he basically had a constant reminder of home during the day. Dante basically told him as much as they grew up. "Don't get in my way when I'm with my friends", "Don't give me any trouble today, ok?", "Just go do your homework or practice problems or something."

At the same time, this was the same brother who, continued the traditions Armando had started with Dante – especially when Armando started getting too busy with soccer. Dante would lead detours to the best food trucks and corner stores to get some snacks, candy, and food like _buñuelos, empanadas,_ and pretzels.

They didn't talk much on their after-school excursions. Well, Cisco talked, and Dante pretended to listen. Cisco would follow Dante wherever he went, waiting to find the perfect thing to spend his carefully saved allowance on, mulling over what would be the greatest thing to eat that day. All the while Dante would just nod along to whatever it was, he was saying. He never seemed to pay attention until the second Cisco talked about whether or not someone had called him names. Or messed with his belongings. Or just picked on him all during school. Then, he had no problem focusing, asking questions, and making sure he understood every word.

It was nice.

How long had it been since the two of them had just sat down long enough to chill out before going back to their lives? Going out for drinks was the only recent thing Cisco could think of and even then, it was mostly Dante sitting off by himself watching the game while Cisco hung out with Iris, Barry, and Caitlin.

"There's a reason why I moved in with you, you know," Dante pointed out.

"Because mom and dad made you," Cisco replied, pushing his hair back from his face. "I set fire to one apartment and they think I can't handle myself."

"If they saw how exhausted you are right now, they'd agree with you," Dante said. "Believe me, I'd rather be out on my own." He pulled his lips to the side. "It's so mom would stop worrying so much. About me, I mean. I mean, come on. I'm almost thirty and still living at home."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Cisco replied.

"Coming from the guy that still works at a prestigious lab and gets, what, five figures?" Dante asked, squinting at Cisco. "I have two jobs that I barely get paid above minimum wage for. Do you know how tiring it is to have mom constantly ask me about what I want to do with my degree?" Cisco kept his mouth shut. He had always been told not to discuss finances with anyone. He had even felt weird listening to Averey talk about how she hadn't felt like she had completed a lot in her life and was just working at a coffee shop at her age. Dante sighed through his nose. "So, what was it this time?"

"What?"

"What kept you up? Another deadline for the police? You got a letter from the academy, by the way." Cisco stared at Dante in confusion, and Dante indicated the mail on the counter. "Something you want to tell me?"

Cisco pushed his elbow into his knee and propped his head up on his fist. "You think mom and dad would be proud if I decided to join the academy?" He lifted himself to his feet and shuffled across the kitchen. Coming up on the letter,

"I think it would give mom an even bigger chance of having a heart attack." Cisco couldn't help but laugh. "Even more so than knowing you're still working with S.T.A.R. Labs. Dad would probably keep his radio frequencies to a police blotter just to make sure you're ok."

"She'd get it, if she just asked me about it sometimes," Cisco commented.

"Why? So you could continue lying to her about what you do?" Dante asked. Cisco made a humming sound in the back of his throat. He had a point: Dante was the only one in his family that knew what he was really doing at S.T.A.R. Labs. If he hadn't been abducted by Snart as a means of extracting information from Cisco, then it wouldn't really be a problem.

"I still don't even get it," Dante said. "Barry's smart, too, right? Why doesn't he ever build some of this stuff you make for him?"

"I like to do it. I like helping. It's the least I could do after practically blowing up the city."

"You still blame yourself for that?" Dante's eyebrows pulled towards each other. "I thought it was your boss's fault. He admitted to it, didn't he? And admitted to killing Barry's mom?"

"Yeah, but how do you just not notice that about someone?" Cisco asked, leaning over the kitchen counter. "Dr. Wells purposefully did something so dangerous, and I had no idea he was even capable of that."

"If they don't want you to know, they aren't going to let on that they're hiding something, are they?"

Cisco pressed his lips together. "I guess you're right." He waved the letter in the air. "No, I didn't sign up. This is actually…" Letting his sentence hang in the air, Cisco did a quick once over of the letter. His eyebrows lifted in amusement. "This letter is requesting that I come in to teach some courses at the academy?"

Dante was silent for a moment. "What?"

Cisco closed his eyes and took in a long breath of air through his nose. "If I'm building things to help the CCPD against metas, it'd probably be a good idea that they know how to use it, right?" he asked. Dante bobbed his head back and forth but didn't seem to have a retort. "Anyway, after what happened with your knee, I thought you didn't want to know any more about this stuff."

"So, I'm supposed to ignore you while we're living together?"

"You didn't have a hard time with it before, did ya?"

Dante fixed Cisco with a look filled with "duh." Cisco almost laughed out loud. "You realize if something happens to you, I'm going to have to be the one to tell our family, right?" Dante asked.

"Yes, I'm aware," Cisco said flatly.

Ever since, whatever was happening to him, started happening to him it was one of the only things he could think about. Even more so when it was decided that Dante was going to live with him. There was no way he could really keep his "side hustle" a secret from his brother. There was already too much overlap. And, if he were being honest, sometimes it did help to get an outside opinion on everything. Even if it was mostly negative. And a personal dig here and there.

"So, what is it that's kept you up?"

"Bad news about a meta friend, actually." Cisco refolded the letter and stuck it inside the envelope. "News I can't quite decipher. I mean, it all leads to one thing: death."

"Sounds to me like you've cracked the case, then."

"I haven't exactly figured out if it's as simple as a side-effect of their abilities, or, it's something more biological, though."

"Meaning?"

"Unexplained bruises, fevers, and uncharacteristic fatigue?" Cisco couldn't rule out erupting into blue flames. It was an obvious showing of fission occurring.

In his experience, nothing was ever that simple with Team Flash. Cisco and Caitlin had also been bouncing around the idea that the expulsion of the radiation was Stein's own way of protecting his body from foreign cells. That would then bring up the worry that awakening meta abilities could be just as much of a detrimental biological change as it was exciting.

Dante's eyebrows shot up. "Sounds like something bad," he said, slowly.

Cisco nodded in agreement. "Web-MD would have a field day with these search terms," he said. "I don't know for sure if it's what I'm thinking. I'm waiting to hear from Caitlin. That's why I've been up so late. Speaking of which, how's your leg? If you need anything—"

"Mijo." Dante tilted his head back until it settled against the head rest of his chair. "I already told you, I don't want, no, I don't _need_ anything from S.T.A.R. Labs." He lifted a finger into the air. "Unless Barry wants to slide some cash my way."

"Oh yeah, I'll get you a job to compose music for the elevators," Cisco said with a snort. "What do you need money for, anyway?"

"Textbooks are more expensive than I remembered," Dante said. "And I've already used up all my Dining Dollars." Cisco made a noise of surprise. "Caffeine dependent students staying up late to study. You do the math."

"The first semester isn't even half over," Cisco protested. Dante shrugged and Cisco let out a long, deep sigh. "Ok, look. I've got some extra cash on my dresser; you can have that. I'll be paid this Thursday, anyway." His phone suddenly vibrated on the floor. Cisco stubbed his toe in a dash to the couch. Wrapping his fingers tightly around his injured toes, he unlocked his phone with a swipe of his thumb. "I've got to get going. That was Caitlin; she says my friend is stable." _As stable as one can get with a damaged quantum splicer, anyway._ He knew what he had to do as soon as he got to work, and if he wanted to be successful, he needed to get going right away.

"That's great," Dante called from Cisco's room. A moment later, he shuffled back into the main sitting area, eyebrows furrowed at the bills in his hand. "Is this all you have?"

"What?" Cisco spun in a circle on the spot. "Have you seen my shoes?"

"It's a wonder you can find anything around here. Check by the door." Dante rolled his eyes. He grabbed Cisco's arms as he went to move past him. "Money, Cisco. Is this all the money you have?"

"We were on a bar crawl, Dante." Cisco said with a snort. He removed his arm from Dante's grasp and retrieved his shoes. "I have to tip well."

"Yeah. Ok, whatever."

"Seriously, dude?" Cisco slid his foot into his show and stomped it on the floor, forcing his heel in. He slid his injured foot into his other shoe, bobbing his heel to position it correctly. He hobbled past Dante and into his room. "I covered all your drinks, too." Dante mumbled something under his breath that Cisco didn't hear as he looked for a clean shirt. He decided that his pants were clean enough to wear a second day in a row. Late nights in college and he could squeeze a third, fourth, maybe even fifth day in the same pair of pants – only if he was working nonstop towards a deadline.

Retrieving his wallet, Cisco slid it into his back pocket with one hand, using the other to balance himself against the dresser. He needed that support as a shuddering wave suddenly crashed over him. It flowed out of his body just as quickly as it came and condensed into an odd feeling at the back of his neck. At the base of his spine. The hair on his arms lifted. Cisco massaged the back of his neck, swallowing repeatedly. When that didn't work to calm him, he started breathing in slowly through his nose and out of his mouth. He lifted to his gaze out the window and started blinking repeatedly.

There was no way he was seeing this: the faint image of a swirling blue mass right outside his window. Like pixels burned into a theater screen, leaving a ghostly image behind. He rubbed at his eyes, and still, it was there. Maybe it was faded a little, disappearing by the second, but still visible.

"A breach," Cisco whispered. His legs suddenly gave out and he crashed onto his dresser, arms straining to hold himself up. He suddenly felt drained, yet his dresser beneath him shook from side to side. His fingers buzzed, almost bouncing and ricocheting off the smooth top. "What's happening?" No sooner had the words been said did all of the shaking stop. The buzzing left his fingers, and upon looking out the window, the breach had also disappeared. Slowly, Cisco pushed himself to his feet, one hand going to his head.

"Maybe you should skip work and get some sleep," Dante suggested.

"This is, actually, one of the days I really need to be there." Cisco took a small step away from the dresser, checking to make sure he was steady. "I'll see you later tonight if nothing comes up."

"In your line of work, doesn't stuff always come up?" Dante asked. Cisco didn't answer, though he did acknowledge that he wasn't wrong. "Just let me know when you think you'll be back, or whatever."

"Yeah, yeah." With each step, Cisco felt himself quickly regain his energy. A few moments later, it was like none of it had ever happened. In fact, he was having a hard time remembering what had made him so weak in the first place. The more he tried to think back to it, to grab it, it flowed through his fingers like sand, until it was gone. "I'll see you later."

Cisco drove all the way to S.T.A.R. Labs deep in thought. Knee bouncing, leg shaking, and stomach churning with anxiety. Stein was stable, he kept reminding himself, but if things could change that quickly, could he really afford to be calm? His anxiety only grew when Caitlin appeared at his driver's side door. He killed the engine of his car.

"It must be bad if you're meeting me at my car," he said, carefully swinging the door open. Shielding his face against the sun with his hand, Cisco swung his legs out of the car and faced Caitlin. "Is everything ok? What happened?"

"Nothing, nothing," Caitlin said with a hint of a smile. "Professor Stein is stable, relaxed, and resting. I sent Clarissa out to clear her head a bit. She's been up all night with me." Half of Caitlin's smile faded. "I worry about her sometimes."

Cisco watched Caitlin start to bite her lower lip. "Caitlin. What's up?" He climbed out of his car, slamming the door shut behind him. "I've been up all night thinking about what's going on with Stein, driving myself crazy."

"I know, me too." Caitlin fell into step beside Cisco. Slowly, they headed towards the side door entrance of S.T.A.R. Labs.

"Buuut?" Cisco prompted.

"We've seen something like this before," Caitlin said. "Except, Ronnie and Professor Stein were already combined with each other. This could just be that."

"Yeah, but they didn't have that burning ring of fire thing going on," Cisco said, circling the air with his hand. "I know you don't want to think the worst, but what if it's more than what we're used to? Dante and I were talking this morning." Caitlin stopped walking and stared at him. Cisco rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know the fact that we actually talked to each other is very exciting."

"I'm glad things seem to be getting better between the two of you," Caitlin said gently. "It's good that you two are talking. It's better than both of you pretending like you don't exist."

"Well, we were talking and, to him," Cisco said slowly, "and we were saying that it sounds like Stein could have leukemia."

Caitlin's shoulders dropped. "I know," she said with a sigh, "that's what I've been thinking, too. I just didn't want to think about it. I don't even know how to bring up the possibility with Clarissa." Cisco reached for the keypad by the door and quickly punched in his access code. They waited for a _click_ , and Cisco pulled the door open, motioning her inside. "There's no way it's cancer, right?""

"We don't fully know what having these abilities mean, Caitlin," Cisco reminded her. "What if this is just his body's way of trying to rid it of something foreign?"

"Do you think that's possible?" Caitlin asked quietly.

"The body attacks itself in a whole bunch of different ways. Auto immune diseases? I'm just saying we probably shouldn't rule it out."

"You may be on to something." Caitlin frowned. "Clarissa's lost him once, and got him back, and nearly lost him again, and…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Cisco agreed. His eyebrows furrowed when he noticed Caitlin take the same turn he did. Instead of continuing to the Cortex, she stayed beside him as he headed to his workshop. "What?"

"Remember how I told you that I had run tests on Barry's blood, and that it looked different?" Caitlin asked. Cisco nodded, shrugging his shoulders. "Professor Stein's blood looked different, too. Averey may have been right."

"About?"

"Barry had been exposed to so much radiation against Atom Smasher and Professor Stein is one big ball of radiation." Caitlin held her hands up in a shrug. "So, maybe?"

"Do you know how many radio waves we're exposed to every day?" Cisco asked. "Wouldn't that mean that every meta in the city would start exhibiting weird… _things_ right about now?"

"You mean like Averey's sudden dropping through the floor?" Caitlin asked. "This can't just be a coincidence, Cisco."

"Good point." Cisco's cheeks puffed up with a deep sigh. "This could be bad," he admitted. He stepped into his work office and flipped on the lights. He collapsed into his chair, the force of his movement sending it sliding across his workstation. Dragging his feet to slow his movement, he pushed his hair back from his face with his hands. "Real bad."

"I know." Caitlin took hesitant steps further into the room. She slid one hand against the other. "Which is why I've been spending all night, and all morning combing through all of the medical records of everyone who was admitted to hospitals the night of the accelerator explosion."

Cisco lifted an eyebrow. "You can do that? Isn't that HIPPA violation?"

"I might have contacted Felicity for help."

"And?"

"If what's going on with Professor Stein is anything dire, I have no doubt that we'll be able to figure it out," Caitlin said, "but he needs to live long enough to have that happen. We need to find a new partner for him."

"Which you've already done."

Caitlin nodded, smiling. "I've got two candidates I want to run by you guys. Ave and Barry have work so I'll have to catch up with them later. Since you're here, I can show you now."

"Got it." Cisco pointed a finger gun at her, making a clicking sound with his mouth. "Until we can tell them, I can use the time to try and find a quick work around to keep Stein stable." He tilted his head to the side, squinting at Caitlin. "Are you going to be ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Caitlin asked.

"Looking for a new match for Stein." Caitlin lifted her eyebrows and Cisco matched her movement. "It's got to be bringing up some memories right about now. I'm just worried about you."

"I'm ok, Cisco, thank you. If Ronnie and Stein hadn't fused together that night, we might still be in the same position we are in now."

"Yeah. Except Ronnie might still be here with us."

"Stein and Eddie managed to return," Caitlin said after a moment of silence. "Ronnie could too."

Cisco didn't answer, just blinked. Caitlin, as usual, made a good point. Each day was just as different then the next as it was similar. Who knew what would be in store for them each day? For all any of them knew, Ronnie could come walking back into their lives acting as if nothing had happened. It happened in movies, who's to say it couldn't happen in real life?

"Until that happens, we have to keep working," Caitlin said, emphatically. "We opened up S.T.A.R. Labs to any meta that wants to find refuge, to find answers. What answers have we given them? We still don't understand how dark matter alters anyone's DNA, what it really means to be a meta, or any of that."

"True."

"We can't wait for the Metahuman Research Institute to open. We don't know what it'll be like. They've barely answered any questions about it since the announcement at the Flash Day rally. We can get a head start on it. We have the chance to do that work now. We owe it to all metas."

Cisco slowly nodded his head. Again Caitlin was right; they didn't know what the Institute would be like. They didn't know if it would ultimately be good or bad. Or if they would continue to be as secretive as they were currently being.

 _But maybe that would work in their favor_ , Cisco thought to himself, _And in my favor_. He just needed to keep whatever was happening to him under warps long enough for the Institute to be established enough to help. And to keep the sudden gut-clenching guilt at bay. And to stop his knee from starting to bounce, again.

"So, who're the two new candidates?" Cisco asked, pressing his fist into his thigh.

"Jefferson Jackson, a mechanic; and Henry Hewitt, a Hudson University graduate. I was thinking once Professor Stein woke up, we could get his opinions on everything, maybe even bring them here to meet him."

"Do you even know where they are?"

Caitlin chuckled. "You can find Henry with a quick Google search, he has so many accolades and attention for his work," she explained.

"And Jefferson?"

"Recent events have made his location easy to track down as well. Do you remember that car Lisa Snart stole from the street races?"

"Boy, do I." Cisco let out a low whistle. "I'd love to get my butt behind that steering wheel." His smile slowly faded at Cisco's stare. "I mean, yes, I do. Why?"

"I called Joe to get an idea of how the case with the care was coming along," Caitlin explained. "And it looks like the car has been given additional supplements to help in the race."

"So, it's been modded."

"Yes. And Joe might have told me, off the record, that they believe they may have narrowed it down to a few shops where they could have been installed."

Cisco dug into his pocket for his cell phone. "I'll tell Barry."

* * *

 _Pop._

Averey followed the direction of the punch that connected to her jaw, swinging her head to the side. She tried to counter with an upper cut to her opponent's armpit, leaning heavily on her right leg. Left leg lifted, trapped around her opponent's hip, a forward kick to her planted food was enough to knock her off her feet and, upon release, face first to the flooring with a loud _smack_!

Chest heaving, Averey rolled onto her back, and stared up at the ceiling. Using her tongue, she pushed the suddenly too big mouth guard out from between her teeth. Leaving a trail of saliva behind, it bounced off her throbbing chin and fell down onto the floor of the ring.

"Lucky shot," she said between gasps for air, pointing a gloved hand towards the ceiling. It dropped heavily back to her chest a moment later. She was too tired to hold it up.

"You always say that." Rolling her head to the side, she regarded Chuck who stood over her, arms crossed tight over his chest. The muscles in his arms bulged, his skin stretched taught over them; a reminder that he could crack a walnut shell between his biceps and triceps with ease. Or a head. "Especially when you don't see it coming."

She couldn't help it. Averey burst out laughing. Her. Not seeing something coming. He didn't know how wrong he was. Sure, the Reverse-Flash playing her like a cheap pawn in the chess game he calls his life, and the shooting death of her friend in front of her eyes wasn't something she expected. Or even entertained the thought of. But to call her blind? It was just too funny.

Pushing herself up onto her elbows, Averey said, "I see everything."

"So you think you'd be able to see, and react to, a fist come flying at your face, don't you think?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah. Reckon I would." Averey massaged her chin with the rounded end of her glove. She stretched the other out towards Chuck. He removed his gloves, tucking them into his left armpit before he grasped her hand, hauling Averey to her feet. So much so, she nearly fell forward upon landing. "I just got distracted."

She never thought of herself as someone attached to her phone. Travelling overseas often meant minimal communication whether it was through the internet or cell phones. It was easier to only send out a check-in e-mail at the end of the day if Wi-Fi wasn't spotty, or a library or café was open. At a charge per minute for a call, and with her mom, she knew she would rack up a pretty expensive phone bill. Nevertheless, she found waiting for an update on Professor Stein had her eyes drifting.

More than they would normally. Even the smallest movement out of the corner of her eye would have her head turning. Each notification was like a strobe light, just begging for her to turn her head. That was one downside to her responsibilities to protect Central City; eyes were naturally attracted to movement. But for her, it was like she was always looking for the next strike. Or to spot what she least expected, giving her a chance to stop it before it happened.

Averey blinked frantically, squeezing them shut, dread suddenly washing over her. _Don't. Don't. Don't._ She squeezed them tighter. Tighter. Tighter. But she couldn't stop herself. Nothing could erase the image of Eddie's dying form from invading her field of vision, imprinted against the fighting ring surrounding her. Removing her left hand from her glove – gritting her teeth when it briefly got caught on her wrist monitor – she pressed the pads of her fingers into her eyes. Rubbed them. Let out a squeak of frustration when it wouldn't. Go. Away.

"The second your mind wanders, you're opening yourself up for a 'sucker punch'." Chuck said. With a shaky breath, Averey forced open her eyes, and looked up at her trainer. She sniffed. Chuck's gaze softened just slightly. "Your movement is great though. You're keeping light on your feet and maneuvering faster. To your advantage, I was trying to keep up with you more than counter your strikes."

The compliments were good to hear, but he was way off on why she was upset – but how would he know any different? Although, Averey didn't like to lose. Hands on her hips, Averey crossed the ring to her water bottle, nodding her head. Chuck continued his explanation, "Keeping me moving to try and maintain a distance between us was good. Until you were distracted. Anticipate your opponents' movements. Be one step ahead of them."

Averey let out a laugh-hum as she tilted her head back and drank from her water. She had never been a forward thinker, let alone a forward planner – save for when she planned to travel to find her biological father. Maybe if she had been, she wouldn't have been under the Royal Flush Gang's thumb for so long. What good were her abilities if she couldn't see through each explanation, story, and lie that were given to her without a second thought?

"OK, Ok," she said breathlessly and wiped her lips with the back of her hand, "let's try again."

"Actually, Ava, we have to cut it here, hey." Averey swung her head over towards Daniel as he and Ellie walked over to the ring, faces bright red, towels around their shoulders. Daniel gripped the rings and lifted himself with ease to plant his feet on the side. Brushing his damp bangs from his forehead he said, "If you want to get to work on time, we need to head out soon."

"We'll pick it up from here next time you come around," Chuck said, thumping Averey on the shoulder. "Good work today." He nodded towards Daniel and Ellie. "I'll have her paperwork for you by the time you're ready to leave. Not much longer with probation, right?"

"Probation until the end of the year," Ellie explained. "If things all continue to run smoothly."

"It will, don't worry," Averey replied. She bent at the waist to reach down and unstrap her protective shin guards. Tucking them under her arm, she carefully climbed out of the ring, jumping to the floor.

"Honey, how can I not worry?" Ellie asked, removing the towel from around her shoulders to wipe the sweat from her daughter's face. "You kept being arrested from us for so long. And everything with this gang?"

"Mum."

"It was just you and me for three years, Ava," Ellie said, cupping Averey's face with the towel, "it was my job to worry. That's not going to stop now, yeah?"

"I think your actions at Flash Day proved that," Daniel commented. Ellie's eyebrows came towards each other. "I'm not trying to start a fight, but honey, you have to admit you did jump down that man's throat."

"I don't understand why you're always taking his side." Ellie shook her head back and forth. "I wasn't going to let him talk about our daughter."

Daniel barely let her finish her sentence before he shot back with, "I'm not taking his side. You and Averey are always top priority to me. Always. I just think you could have handled the situation better than you did."

"You didn't even say anything," Ellie shot back.

"How could I when I had to make sure you weren't going to jump the bloke?"

Averey let out a sigh through her nose and stepped past her arguing parents. Frowning, she glanced back at them as they gestured in tight, sharp, and confined movement, but continued into the locker room. Daniel and Ellie didn't fight that often. That she could remember. At least not in front of her. When they did, however, Averey didn't know what to do with herself. It was weird. They were always so loving to each other. It was jarring to witness them even raising their voices at each other. But it was happening more. More so about Averey, and her house arrest, and probation.

Showering quickly, Averey removed herself of the sweat and dirt that coated her body and was stuck in her hair. Closing her eyes, she took in deep breaths of the hot steam, trying to cleanse herself from the inside out. To calm down. To clear her mind of any stray thoughts, a tear or two managing to escape. She took note of every bruise that had already started forming, and areas that were sure to develop sometime later. Her face was going to be red for a while for sure.

 _Hopefully,_ Averey thought to herself as she twisted her head this way and that in the mirror, _this will heal pretty quickly. Score one for advanced healing._ Her lips twitched when she briefly entertained the idea of quick emotional healing. A meta therapist would be rolling in the money if it were that easy. "Mum, I'm ready to go."

"Ok, I'm coming now." The sound of a locker door slamming shut sounded behind her, and Ellie stepped over to her, pulling the strap to her purse up her shoulder. She carried her gym back in her hand. "Let's go before you're late."

"Are you and Daniel ok?" Averey asked, falling into step beside her mother as they made their way out of the locker room.

"Of course we are," Ellie replied. "It's not the first time we've fought, hey."

"I know," Averey replied, "but this just sounded different. You were fighting because of me."

"We were fighting because we had different reactions to that man at Flash Day," Ellie replied. "Not because of you, sweetie." Averey hummed. "Averey, I'm telling you, we're ok. Even if we do fight, we're still on the same side. We may not always respond to things the same way, but at the end of the day, we're both doing what we can to help you."

"I know," Averey said with a smile, "cheers. Thanks, mum. For everything. If I haven't said it enough."

"You don't need to say it, Ava," Ellie said, tucking a lock of her daughter's hair behind her ear, "you always show it."

"What do you mean?"

"A lot of people in your position wouldn't handle house arrest and everything like you had," Ellie explained. "There have been ups and downs, and it hasn't been easy on your relationships, but you still talked to Daniel and me about how you were feeling, what your plans were, all of that."

 _Not everything_ , Averey found herself thinking before she could stop herself. Still, she gave her mom a smile and rest her head on her shoulder. Twisting the monitor on her wrist, she attempted to scratch the irritated skin underneath it. As long as she had the monitor on her wrist, she didn't need to, and couldn't fully come clean about anything. If her mom and dad knew about her over the limit visit, or conversation with Gavin, or what the implications of having Melanie show up meant, they would probably blow a gasket.

Averey had never truly seen her parents angry and wasn't looking forward to that day whenever it came. Besides, there was no easy way to explain that the only reason everything had happened was because a deranged maniac from the future had set up her life to end up this way. Not just hers, but everyone that had come into her life. Her and her parents had a great line of communication, but that even sounded incredibly far fetched and hard to believe.

"Let's roll," Daniel said from just outside the locker room doors. "I think your work out today scared off any one with the news that might have shown up." He grinned. "Probably too scared to get close."

"They'll know I could knock them out," Averey agreed, punching the air with her fists. "Give 'em the old _one, two_." She couldn't help but smile to herself. Visionary could, and would, pack a punch if pushed enough. To what extent she could reach, she wasn't sure. And she was a little scared to find out. She recognized herself in parts of Lisa Snart, but she didn't know just how far the similarities went.

 _Bzzz. Bzzz._

"Oh, that's me." Averey reached into her bag for her cell phone and quickly scrolled through her messages. Her shoulders dropped in relief at the news that Professor Stein was stable (Averey responded to Caitlin's text with a quick thumbs up); her mouth twisted to the side when she read Barry's text that Captain Singh wanted to speak with her (she scrolled past that without replying, but did laugh at the worried emoji); and scrunched her face up in confusion at her boss's text to head to the Central City Museum and not to Jitters for her shift. "Drop me off at the museum, yeah? I have to meet there today."

Fifteen minutes later, Averey rolled over into the front seat of Daniel's truck before jumping out into the pavement. She gave her mom a hug, and waved goodbye to Daniel before he pulled his truck away from the curb with a short blast of the horn. Averey turned to face the museum and quickly spotted Kendra waving from by the entrance.

"Morning," she called to her co-workers once she was close enough. "Came over as soon as I got your text."

"I'll mark down your time and clock you in as soon as I get to the computer," Tracy announced, writing quickly on the clipboard in her hands. "Everyone follow me." Averey fell into line beside Kendra, sharing a look of amusement with her co-worker. Tracy was always ready to put her employees to work as soon as they were on the clock.

"I see all your paperwork, and everything went through," Averey said to Kendra with a smile, "I'm glad. Congratulations."

"The case is still open on who stole my purse," Kendra said with a sigh. "I could only get a new driver's license and freeze my old cards." She shrugged her shoulders. "I needed to start working as soon as I could. I needed the money."

"Kendra's a great hire, too," Stacy commented, talking over her shoulder as she waited in line to go through the revolving door. "Have you seen her resume? She's done so many different things. It's no wonder she's got the manager spot."

Kendra's cheeks turned a bright pink. "I've moved a lot, so I've picked up a lot of odd jobs," she explained. "It's no big deal." She shook her hair out of her face. "Um, but there's a new exhibit on Egypt opening soon, and Jitters is catering. A local preservation group is setting it up." Averey waited for the glass pane to swing past her face and she stepped through into the museum. "You're into history, right? I remember you saying something about it at those 'get to know you' meetings."

"Yeah, it's—" Averey's sentence stopped abruptly. Her mouth twisted to the side, she wet her lips, and she swallowed thickly when her gaze flittered over the metal detectors set up in the lobby. "It's what I studied in uni." Twisting her fingers together, Averey quickly surveyed the scene. Each metal detector staffed by a man or woman in security uniform. Not that many people in the lobby, but it was quiet enough where if it were to go off, it'd gain everyone's attention.

It wasn't that long since she had to keep reporting to the police station or the Probation Services Office. Still, it was daunting being around one. Her monitor never set it off, but maybe one finally would. Everyone would be staring at her, like she thought they always were.

Every time she visited the police headquarters, or the Probationary Services Offices, she had to step through a metal detector before sitting in the small waiting room with blank walls. There were others with her, all with the same blank looks on their faces, all with some sort of crime under their belt. Officers said their names over and over again, one too many times. Maybe they thought those in the offices forgot their who they were supposed to be, or maybe, Averey had surmised, they did as they got further and further into their crimes.

Cops eyeing you up, shaking their heads. Looking down on you. Making you feel small. Stupid. You were stupid for what you had done, not matter what justification you had. Waiting. Waiting for your turn to sit in front of your own personal probation officer. Too much time waiting to find out if they would tell you something good or bad. If your probation conditions were strengthened or lessened. Thanking your for cooperating when it was all said and done. Between that and incarceration, as if you really had a choice in the matter.

"You always have a choice," they had said to her incredulous response.

Those words repeated in Averey mind as she twisted her mouth to the side, and stepped through one of the empty. She let out a breath of air when it didn't go off.

"Hold on a second, ma'am."

Averey already had her arm in the air. "Remote monitor," she explained to the man who had put his hand out in her path. "On probation. I'm here for work." Using her other hand, she indicated the ID tag pinned to her shirt. She didn't have to look to know that she had eyes on her. She could feel it. Burning into her skin. A quick scan around the room confirmed what she was feeling. But there was one man further off, that held her attention a fraction of a second longer. He was staring at their group, a blazing look in his eyes. "That's all." After a quick call to Averey's probation officer, things were cleared away and Averey joined her coworkers, cheeks burning.

"We're here to meet with the Historical Preservation Society," Tracey announced, leading the way through the museum. "And with the Director of Exhibitions."

"I heard they've even got items coming from museums all over the country being added to this exhibit," Kendra explained. "That's pretty neat. I've always loved museums; it always made me feel like I can experience how people back then got to live."

"I always loved learning about Egypt in school. I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that we still don't know everything in those pyramids," Averey said. "If walls could talk, eh? All those hieroglyphics?"

"Hieroglyphics wasn't used as commonly as many are led to believe." Averey and Kendra turned around at the deep male voice that suddenly sounded behind them. He stood with his hands clasped in front of him, and he gazed curiously at Kendra. "It took a lot of time to write, so it was only used at times of great importance. Though you would know all about that."

"I mean," Kenda said with a short laugh, "it's not one of the things I remember learning in high school or anything." A curious look came over her face. "I think I had done an art project where I had to write my name in hieroglyphics when I was in elementary school. That was pretty cool. I don't think I could say I remember what the symbols mean or anything."

Them man's lips lifted upwards in the corners, just slightly. "I'm sure you could figure it out if you took some time," he said.

"Riight," Kendra said, turning away from the man. She widened her eyes in Averey's direction. "Like years and years of research."

"We've got all the coffee in the world, it probably wouldn't take as long," Averey said, leading Kendra away from the man. "Reckon I've seen better flirting from a mime." Kendra laughed and shook her head. "Come on, they went this way. We just need to go through the Permian Era, Civil War, Railroad Expansion, and 'History of the Twin Cities' exhibits."

"Do you come here a lot?" Kendra asked.

"Funnily enough, haven't set foot in here since moving here," Averey replied. "I memorized the map when we walked in."

"What, do you have photographic memory?"

"Something like that." Averey said. "It actually freaks people out sometimes; I can remember things they'll forget they told me, and think I'm stalking them or something."

"Oh, no, that's terrible."

"It's not always bad," Averey reassured her. "It also means I'm bloody bomb at buying prezzies around Christmas time." She became engrossed in the exhibits as they passed them.

Averey had always enjoyed going to the museums in school. More often than others, she suspected. The hands-on activities were always well thought out. And to actually get the chance to see what regions and areas really looked like? To see how technology had advanced. How did people not find it cool to learn about how people changed, and how events created the world they lived in now? One simple thought changed how people communicated with each other – and now they essentially had computers in their pockets. Understanding people, their experiences, and their thought processes; people's personal histories were always interesting to her.

 _Maybe one day they'll have a meta exhibit, something on S.T.A.R. Labs,_ she thought to herself, slowly stepping past a glass case filled with miniature trains rolling through terrain of Keystone and Central City of the past. Whether or not it'd be a positive exhibit couldn't be said, but it would for sure generate a lot of visitors to the museum.

Averey pulled her gaze from the glass case as they stepped into the room the Egyptian exhibit was housed. She set her gaze on Kendra as she brushed past Averey, bumping her shoulder as she made a beeline for the center of the room. A glass case held what looked like a simple slab of rock, but upon closer look was etched into with symbols and pictures. A blank look was on her face, but still, she seemed focused on it.

"I was wondering if you were going to remember, Chay-Ara."

Averey whirled around, facing the same man from before. "What'd you call her?" she asked, the name repeating in her head. The man ignored Averey, stepping further into the room until he was by Kendra's side, staring intently at her. "Do you need help with something, mate?"

"Yes, but it's nothing you can help me with, I assure you," the man said. He tilted his head to the side, watching Kendra's unchanging face. "Are you starting to remember, Chay-Ara?" He lifted is hand to brush Kendra's hair from her face, but Averey stepped in between them, placing a hand against the man's chest.

"Back off, dude," she said. "How do you even know Kendra?"

"Kendra?" The man's eyebrows shot up. An amused look on his face. He pulled the corners of his lips downwards, nodding his head. "Kendra it is, then. Uh, in that case, my name is Carter, and we go way, way back." She twisted her mouth to the side. "We're kind of soul mates."

Kendra shook her head, turning to give Carter a confused look, backing away from him. "I don't even know who you are," she said.

"Just think, for a second, Kendra," Carter said. He reached for her, and Kendra took a step away from him. He put his hands into the air before he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm sure it'll come back to you at any moment. We just have a lot we need to talk about." He briefly looked over at Averey before setting his gaze back on Kendra. "Alone."

"No, I don't think so," Kendra said, shaking her head. "Look, I'm here for work. That's it." She stepped past Carter, a deep frown on her face. She grabbed Averey's arm, pulling her along. "Please. Just leave me alone." She glanced back over her shoulder at Carter. "Geeze. The nerve of that guy."

"You ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm ok. Thanks."

"You sure?" Kendra threw Averey a closed lipped smile and nodded her head. Averey reached into her pocket for her cell phone and quickly fired off a text message filled with flashing light emojis. "Ok good. That guy was one fruit short of a bloody fruitcake." She lifted her phone to her eyes when it started to vibrate in her hand, flashing Barry's name on the screen. "Tell Tracey I'll be right there. I have to take this." Turning away from Kendra, she lowered her voice, answering her phone. "Hey, Barr. Everything's fine. I just think I know who Shadow Thief is." Averey turned back to the spot that Carter had just been standing in, finding it empty, "or rather, who he could be working for."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Woohoo, finally a new chapter. It took me ages to figure out how I was going to have the last scene go, but I did always think of having Kendra and Carter meeting up before the events of the crossover from season two. Everything starts becoming more tied together with the next chapter, and we'll be seeing Harry real, real soon.

Thanks everyone for continuing to check out the story.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Need further explanation on anything. Leave a comment.

-Rhuben

.

 **Review Replies:**

 _Spinquin142:_ I meant to respond to your review in a PM, but here we go: glad you got caught up! And it's nice to see your username again. Characterization is something I always worry about, so I'm glad that you've been enjoying that. I always felt like the show didn't do much with Iris and needed to change it. She deserves that much. Plus with the overarching theme of family I have in this series, what I have in store for her and Averey moving forward, and with Barry, and Joe, and her mom, she needed to have more of her character worked out more.

 _gods-own:_ As we get closer to seeing more with Earth-2, I'm always so excited to see what you will think about it when everything with Earth-2 is revealed. Thanks for reading.

 _Ethan:_ Thanks for continuing to read this story. Yes, we'll see more of Averey's street smarts and just how her background and past experiences shapes her moving forward. Which I've hinted at a bit with this chapter. I'm excited to see what you think will happen next.


	20. Light Headed

**Chapter Twenty:** Light Headed

* * *

Barry lifted his head from where it was buried in his arms. It was times like these where he was glad there were things in his life that went by slowly. Even a speedster needed a break from the fast life every once in a while. Including parts of his job. Even though he was working multiple cases at one time, even he couldn't speed up science. Just organize it well enough to know what piece of evidence went with which case.

Unfortunately, it also meant he had plenty of time to wonder why it always felt like everything piled on top of each other when it came to meta-humans. First having to tack down this Jefferson Jackson character to make sure Professor Stein didn't die, and then having to deal with this Shadow Thief guy and his all-around creepiness, meta-humans that could be sent from another Earth to kill him, and now there was the possibility of a human shark walking around the city.

"I'm sorry?" Barry said, doing a double take. He rubbed at his eyes before clasping his hands together on the back of his head, taking in Patty's presence in his lab. Eyebrows pulling towards each other, he zeroed in on the evidence bag she started swinging in front of his face. "What'd you just say?"

"That's what everyone's been saying. I couldn't believe it either." Patty practically shook with excitement. "Ask me how _shark teeth_ were found on Eastwood Avenue," she said with a bright smile.

"You sure it wasn't Marine Drive?" Barry asked with a hint of a laugh.

Her smile faded only for a fraction of a second before it returned "Funny," Patty said. "Though, I should probably look there. Right?" Taking quick steps across the room, she slapped the bag down onto the table. "How would you explain this?"

Barry picked up the bag, quickly examining it: Ranging in size, so the shark had to have multiple rows of teeth. Just how many was hard to distinguish at the moment, though here there was at least five different sizes. Insanely sharp. Not long and narrow, so that cut out any shark that mainly fed on fish; nothing that would resemble sharks that needed to crush shells; and they were a fairly large triangle shape. In conclusion; teeth from a Great White. Now _that_ certainly wasn't possible.

"Unless there was a Sharknado," Barry said, earning a snort from Patty, "there's no way a shark would survive this far north." He set the bag down. "Mainly because of water temperatures."

"Climate change is a real thing, you know," Patty commented.

Smiling to himself, Barry settled back in his seat. He crossed his arms over his chest. "So, tell me all about this," he said. "How'd you find the shark teeth?" His eyebrows angled towards each other. "And how are your courses going?"

"They're ok," Patty said, moving to sit down on the edge of Barry's table. "I think I've been at the Academy more now than when I was actually going through it." Patty gave Barry a sheepish grin. "I just want to pass this test and prove to Detective West that I deserve to be on the Task Force."

"Anyone that willingly wants to track down metahumans deserves to be on that Task Force," Barry said. "Joe's been juggling it all himself." He shrugged. "Now that you and Eddie are both working with him, it at least has taken some pressure off his shoulders. You should have seen him a few months ago."

"With the Flash's help, he couldn't have been stressed out that much," Patty pointed out.

Barry tightened the muscles in his cheeks, trying to keep the smile on his face. His stomach still churned with guilt. If he hadn't been dedicated to working all on his own, Joe wouldn't have had to deal with it all on his own. _Well,_ Barry reminded himself, _alone with the help of S.T.A.R. Labs._

"The Flash is fast," Barry agreed, "but he can't be everywhere at once."

"Still." Patty rapped the table with her knuckles before planting the pad of her index finger onto the evidence bag. "Some of the beat cops have been talking about what they've been hearing around town. Apparently, there's been sightings of a _Man-Shark_ walking the streets of Central City." Barry stared at the smile frozen on Patty's face. "A _Man-Shark_ , Barry."

"I, uh, heard you the first time," Barry said, slowly nodding. There was no way this was happening. _Then again,_ he reminded himself, _no one would ever thing something like Grodd was living in the sewers. Or existed at all_. He rubbed his chin with his hand. _But where would a shark hide? And why is this the first time it's been talked about_? News reports about a land shark would capture the city's attention no questions asked. "That's, um, pretty crazy, right?"

"Totally crazy," Patty agreed. "I was wondering if you could run some tests on these teeth for me. I told some of the cops to let me know if any tips came in, and they gave me a name of a witness. So, I'm going to go talk to them."

"For real?" Barry asked, staring at her. On one the one hand, he was impressed by Patty. Impressed that she found this all to be exciting, and dove head-first into every case she was assigned to. Impressed that through everything she kept a smile on her face. "You want to hunt this down."

"Don't you?" Patty asked. "I mean, I know this isn't like some man in lightning or anything, but it's pretty amazing, don't you think?" Barry blinked and Patty's hand flew up to cover her mouth. "Oh, Barry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just say that." She hit herself in the forehead with her fist. "I'm so stupid. Sometimes I just run off at the mouth."

"It's ok, it's ok," Barry insisted.

"No, it's not," Patty insisted. "It was really insensitive." She brushed her long braid back over her shoulder. "Um, but, anyway, I was thinking we could work on it together. You could give me some tips on how to cover this case or something?" She briefly bit down on her bottom lip before she pressed her lips together. "Or, because, I never answered your question, you could help me out with my studies for the Detectives Exam; I'm going to be at Jitters tonight studying, so…"

"I bet you can't wait to get out of that uniform," Barry said, motioning to the pale blue shirt, dark pants, and shiny black shoes Patty wore.

"Are you kidding?" Patty asked with a laugh. "This outfit totally does _wonders_ for my figure." Grinning, she kicked her legs, pointing her toes on each upswing. Seeing the look on Barry's face, she burst out. "I won't be able to dress as nicely as you once I'm out of uniform, but at least I'll be in clothes that breathe."

"Well," Barry said, adjusting the collar of his shirt, "hate to break it to you, but no one can beat how fly I look either way."

"Yeah, ok," Patty said with a roll of her eyes. The two smiled as they laughed. Their smiles stayed as they looked around the room, bowed their heads, did anything but looked at each other.

Barry's chest swelled as he sucked in a deep breath of air. He cleared his throat. His thoughts blurred together, and he tried to pick one to latch on to. Shark teeth. Patty had a nice smile. Metas. Shadow Thief. Professor Stein. Ronnie. Firestorm. Give update to Captain Singh. Patty had nice eyes. Iris. Eddie. Joe's partner. Meta Task Force. Earth-2. Zoom. Shadow Thief. Shark teeth. Patty had soft hands. Detective test. _Detective test._

"Um, so, you wanted help studying," he said. "I don't know how much help I'd be. I mean, I'm not a detective."

"Oh, no, I know," Patty said. "It's just, you know how Joe works, so you could give me some tips on how to work with him."

"Eddie would be your best bet, honestly," Barry replied. Patty slowly nodded her head. "Not that I don't want to help. I'm just…" Barry took a breath. "Joe's made it hard for Iris and me to know what his job was like growing up. He didn't want us to worry."

"And you still ended up working with him, anyway," Patty pointed out.

"Yeah, well," Barry said with a shrug, "after what happened with my mom, he didn't really have a choice."

"No one believed you about a man in lightning, and that turned out to be true," Patty said, excitement coming to her voice again, "so I can be right about this shark guy."

"Either way, if there is a shark walking on land, he'll need to head back into the water eventually," Barry explained, "shark's blood is oxygenated that way. So—"

"Follow the Yellow Teeth Road?" Patty joked jumping off of the table. Barry chuckled, letting out an appreciative "nice" in response to her joke. Patty's smile widened. "The river is the only water source in the city. I can go to the docks and ask if anyone has seen anything."

"Or, wait to find wet footprints," Barry replied. "Or wait until someone calls in about a displaced shark." Patty gave her a confused look. "If this shark isn't near a water source at all times, it's temperature could drop enough that it'll," he snapped his fingers, "drop on the spot."

"I don't suppose _that_ will be on the detective's test," Patty joked.

"That would be a police report to go down in history, that's for sure," Barry said. "I'll get back to you with these test results as soon as it's done."

"Thank you so much, Barry," Patty said. "Um." She rocked on her feet. "I'll make sure I pick up when you call, then. Or "

"Great." Barry made a face. "Probably should ask you for your number first, though, right?"

"Probably." Patty agreed, reaching into her pocket. "You know in case anything comes up like dispatch being jumbled up. Or, or if I'm stuck on a study question or something."

"Oh, I'm sure with your classes and all your studying that you won't have time to call me," Barry said. He turned his body as he reached for his own cell phone, making a face at what he had just said. "But, you know, whatever." He and Patty exchanged phones and quickly typed in their own numbers. "I'll call. When I can. Don't think I'm ignoring you or whatever, it's just..." He laughed oddly. "I've got a lot going on right now."

"Of course, of course," Patty said. "A policeman's work is never done, right? So, I'll let you get to it. I look forward to hearing from you." Clasping the phone tight to her chest, she turned on her heels and made her way towards the door, partially stopping when she saw Joe standing in the doorway (even Barry jumped a little when he noticed him), and partially because she realized—

"You, uh, actually, that's my phone," Barry called out to her.

" _Your_ phone," Patty said at the same time. "Of course. I wasn't trying to steal it or anything." She quickly swapped phones with Barry, who fumbled to keep a hold of his with his suddenly sweaty fingers. With a wave of her free hand, she strode purposefully out of the room. "Detective," she chirped as she passed Joe.

"Do I even want to know?" Joe asked, watching Patty leave. Barry managed to get out a croaking sound but didn't answer. Or couldn't. His tongue suddenly felt too big for his mouth. "Actually, don't answer that. I'm having high school flash backs right now."

"Yours or mine?" Barry asked.

Joe chuckled. "I'd like to think I was pretty smooth back in the day," he said, stepping further into the room. "Anyway, Barr, I came here to check up on you. You seemed off at the meeting this morning."

"Yeah," Barry agreed with a nod of his head. "A lot doesn't cover it, but yeah. Cisco told me you were looking into where a Jefferson Jackson could be employed?"

"Yep." Joe said, lifting a folder that Barry just noticed into the air. "Got it all right here. You can go and talk to him at any time." He scratched the back of his head. "I'll also pass on the information to Keystone's department; they've been trying to crack down on street racing for ages. A win-win in any case." He placed his hand on Barry's shoulder. "How's Professor Stein?"

"Stable," Barry said. "That's all I know right now." He stretched his arms over his head. "Now Ave just told me that she thinks this, Carter Hall guy is working with Shadow Thief. Maybe stalked her. Called her Chay-Ara just like Shadow Thief did."

"I'll have Eddie take a look into this guy," Joe said.

"How's that going?" Barry asked. "Having Eddie back?" His lips twitched. "How's Iris with it?"

"She hasn't said anything to you?" Joe asked.

"Well, I mean, she _has_ ," Barry said. He quickly explained to Joe his conversation with Iris after her search into the downtown housing development. "That's all she said though. Things are still kind of weird between us."

Joe was silent for a moment. "Maybe things are weird because you've still got one foot out the door. Waiting to do everything alone again." Joe commented. Barry's eyebrows furrowed together. "Barr, you're at the center of all of this, I get that. But you can't protect us all on your own. You just can't. We have to take responsibility for ourselves to some degree." Barry swallowed. "One of these days, you have to stop blaming yourself for this. No one knew anything like this was going to happen. No one could ever predict it."

"I know," Barry agreed with a bow of his head. Joe stepped closer to him and comfortingly placed his hand on the back of Barry's head.

"So, what was that I just saw?"

"What was what?" Barry lifted his head.

"The flirting."

"I wasn't flirting. What?" Barry scoffed. "For real? No. No, that was…I was just being friendly. Helping a new co-worker out. I mean, I would have floundered when I first started here if it wasn't for you."

"Barr, you weren't any better with Becky Cooper when you were interested in her." Joe laughed shaking Barry's shoulder. Barry made a face, then relaxed into a laugh. "For someone so intelligent, I've never seen anyone make you forget how to string a single sentence together like that."

"Come on, it wasn't like that."

"Then, please, tell me how it was." Barry opened and closed his mouth, shrugged his shoulders, and let out an odd laugh that had Joe start laughing as well. "First Iris and Eddie, and now you and Patty. I had no idea you both were into blondes." He lifted an eyebrow. "Or is it just the qualification of being my partner that gets your attention?"

"You barely told us anything about your job, Iris and I thought we may be able to wheedle _something_ out of your partners," Barry replied, his lips twitching. "You brought it on yourself."

"Yeah, that's the reason why," Joe said. As he nodded, he rubbed is chin. "Forget the fact that Eddie and Patty are good people. Strong work ethic. Have a drive to do good. Some might even say they're attractive."

"Oh, come on."

"There's a reason why I've found both of my kids have become attracted to them," Joe said with a shrug.

"I'm not attracted to Patty." Joe stared at Barry, lowering his eyelids in an "Oh, come on," kind of way. Barry widened his eyes. "You know how I feel about Iris."

"We also both know that she's engaged," Joe replied, "again." Barry wet his lips with his tongue, turning his attention back to the tests he was running. "She and Eddie are back together, Barry."

"I know, I know." Barry planted his hands on the table. He lifted a hand to scratch the back of his neck, before looking up at Joe. "And I'm happy for her."

"But?" Joe watched Barry pull his mouth to the side. "You know it's possible to have strong, loving feelings for more than one person, right?"

"I know Patty is your partner," Barry said to Joe, "and I know she willingly wants to be on your task force, take down meta-humans, and all of that, but I can't bring her into what we're doing. I can't let her know about The Flash." Joe made a _tisk_ sound with his mouth. "That's one more person I'm putting in harm's way, Joe. I just can't do it, ok? I just can't."

"That's not entirely what we're talking about here, and you know it," Joe said. Barry opened his mouth, expelling a breath of air in a chuckle. "But I understand what you're saying. I really do."

"You said you know where this Jefferson Jackson is?" Barry asked. Joe was silent for a moment, staring at him and his attempt to change the subject. "I'll head over there now, try and get some information while these tests are still running." Wordlessly, Joe handed Barry the envelope and, as Barry quickly strode out of his lab, he flipped quickly through the pages.

"For someone who said they can't put anyone else in harm's way, you're still going to go find Jefferson?"

"Joe, this way I can help someone. Just one person. That's a win, right?" Joe stepped out of Barry's way, but didn't answer. Barry flipped through the pages again. Maybe the sudden influx of information would push the thought of Patty out of his mind. Rounding the bottom railing of the stairs, he nearly bumped into Eddie who was striding across the room, coming out of the elevators. "Oh, sorry, Eddie."

Eddie stumbled backwards, catching himself against the corner of the desk he was passing. He ran a hand down his tie, smoothing it against his chest. The muscles in his forearm flexed. His wrist twitched. Then it lay still. After checking himself over, Eddie peered up at Barry. No. He glared. His blue eyes alight as if they were on fire.

Barry tugged at the collar of his shirt, suddenly feeling warm. He must have been blushing. Embarrassed.

"Don't move so fast next time, Barry," Eddie said. "You may be moving so fast you don't see something until it's too late." His lips lifted into a hint of a smile before he headed into the bullpen. "Oh." Eddie spun back around to face Barry. "I know the Kendra Hall burglary case is something you've been looking into, but Averey's asked me to look up anything I could find on a Carter Hall." He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Said it might something to do with this Shadow Thief?"

"A lead's a lead, right?" Barry asked with a shrug. "If you find out anything, let us know as soon as you can."

"Of course," Eddie said. His shoulders dropped and he gave Barry a smile filled with gratitude and respect. "I never thought I'd really amount to anything. But, I'm glad to help any way I can, Barry. Maybe this really is my destiny." Walking with his head held higher than it had been a moment before, Eddie disappeared into the bullpen.

Barry stared after him for a moment, eyebrows angling towards each other as he stepped into the elevator. _What was that?_ How could one person be so standoffish one moment, and then grateful the next? Settling back into the corner, Barry buried his face into his hands, letting out a loud sigh.

If there was any indication that he should start moving on from Iris, God sure knew how to put it right in front of his face. He had briefly wondered if Eddie was going to punch him, he looked that angry. But for what? A knot formed in his stomach. Maybe it was because he was one of the first people Iris had gone to when she was in trouble?

But that wasn't any different than usual.

 _Maybe now it is_ , he reasoned with himself, feeling the elevator take it's slow descent to the floor. _Maybe now that they're engaged…_ He shook his head, scrunching up his face. Eddie had been frustrated with how close they were before, but they had gotten better about it before had… Barry shook his head even harder. _He's alive now. That's all that matters._ Still, the thought, Eddie's movements nagged at him as he stepped out of the precinct, lifting his phone to his ear.

"Hey," he said as soon as Cisco picked up, "Joe gave me the information about Jefferson Jackson, I'm about to head over there right now."

" _Great. So, could you take Professor Stein with you_?"

"Is he up to moving around? I mean, maybe he should rest."

" _I can assure you Mr. Allen I am quite well enough to get a spot of fresh air_."

Barry pulled his phone from his ear and stared at it for a moment, before he put it back. "Uhhh-"

" _Guess I should have told you I had you on speaker._ " Barry could hear Cisco's sheepish smile from over the phone. " _Caitlin went off to collect Dr. Hewitt to bring back here, tell them all about Firestorm._ "

"So, bring Jefferson back with us," Barry said. "Got it."

" _Ave will meet us here as soon as her shift is over. This will give me time to make sure I have a way to keep Stein stable no matter what happens._ "

" _Mr. Allen, I may not be so much impaired I can't drive however, I think it would be in both our best interests if you were the one to navigate the city_."

"I'll be there in a jiffy." Barry hung up the phone, sliding it into his pocket. He quickly glanced around the street before taking off in a burst of speed. And then, just for a moment, he felt at peace. Nothing could touch him. Nothing could reach him. He could clear his mind, leaving his thoughts behind him. Leave everything behind before it could catch up to him.

But then, he felt weird. Like he was being held back. Slowed down. Resistance of some sort, as if he had a parachute strapped to him, or an umbrella in his hand, a big force of wind pushing against him. Gritting his teeth, Barry forced his legs to move. Almost as if he were trying to run through water. Then a second later, he was fine.

Breathing heavily, Barry skidded to a stop in front of S.T.A.R. Labs. Hands on his knees, he lifted his chin in a greeting to Professor Stein who hobbled towards him, leaning heavily on a sort of cane with a really pointed end, saying something about not telling Clarissa about how he is.

"Yeah, ok," Barry agreed, lifting himself up to his full height. The energy quickly came flooding back into his body and a few seconds later, he was back to normal. The feel of loss of energy, of resistance, was quickly becoming a distant memory. "Let's get going. Which car is yours?" He turned on his heels and made a face, realizing the question was pretty ignorant.

There were no other cars in the parking lot aside from Cisco's. Even he had to wonder who else would be at S.T.A.R. Labs. Most of the entrances, the parking lots were closed off by gates. What used to be a beacon of technological advancement and hope for the future had been blasted apart, leaving behind it a shell of what it used to be. Now he owned it. And the barest bones staff any startup company had ever had. Suddenly, a place that had started to feel like a second home, felt like it was looming over him and he needed to get away.

"I believe we need to head East, Mr. Allen," Professor Stein said, pressing his car keys into Barry's chest.

"Right, right." Barry fell into slow steps beside Professor Stein.

"I assure you, Mr. Allen, I am capable of getting in and out of a car," Professor Stein said, a hint of an edge to his tone. "I am not dead just yet."

"Sorry. Sorry." Clearing his throat, Barry quickened his pace and reached the car before Professor Stein. Twenty minutes later, they were across town, reaching their destination just as the early afternoon traffic started getting thicker. "Are you sure you're ok?" Barry held the passenger side door open as Professor Stein carefully pulled himself from the car.

"Nothing like I was feeling before," Professor Stein said. "I could click my heels if I wasn't already at my old age." He chuckled. "Though, to be fair, ever since Ronald and I had become connected I have felt much livelier than I had in years."

"And you haven't looked a day older."

"You flatter me, Mr. Allen," Professor Stein said with a chuckle.

"Let's hope I can flatter this Jefferson into coming with us," Barry said, stepping into the large garage. Tire rims, and tool chests, and car parts were stacked and hanging, and scattered everywhere. One car was sitting up high on a lift. One was propped up with its rear driver's side tire removed. Barry looked around, spotting a row of windows at the back, shadows moving behind them. Loud music blasted through the small space. "Hello?"

"I will never understand why people insist on listening to their music so loudly," Professor Stein said, shaking his head back and forth. He shuffled over towards a cluttered desk and slapped his hand repeatedly on a bell. "Honestly. How can you enjoy your music when you are effectively cutting how many decibels and frequencies you can actually hear?"

"It's just a way to really get into the music. To feel it in your bones, you know?"

"At the risk of going deaf?"

"Well…" Barry noticed movement behind the windows coming closer to a door. "Just follow my lead," he said quietly, leaning closer to Professor Stein's ear. Professor Stein nodded, continuing his slow gaze around the room, corners of his mouth pulling further and further downwards as the seconds passed.

A door at the back swung open so quickly, the blinds slapped against the doo frame. "You got this one, kid?" he waved a towel in the air and a young, black man stood up from behind one of the cars sitting on the floor. Burying his fingers into the small towel in his own hand, the boy looked across the room to Barry and Professor Stein.

"Yeah, no problem," he said. He crossed the room to a stereo and shut off the volume, the silence suddenly rushing to fill the large space. The boy cleared his throat as he crossed the room to stand in front of Barry and Professor Stein. "How can I help the two of you?"

"Well, uh," Barry quickly glanced over the boy's nametag, "Jax. Hi." He lifted his hand in a quick wave. "We just wanted to know if we could have a few minutes to speak with you."

"Jax" lifted up onto his tiptoes, swaying back and forth. "If it's not about a car, I don't think we have anything to talk about."

"It actually does have to do with a car," Barry said. "In a way. I'm Barry Allen, this is Professsss—" Professor Stein gave a sharp shake of his head. "This is Martin Stein and we're part of the Department of Safety."

"Like a health inspection? Didn't you all come a bit ago inspecting the place?" Jax asked, lifting his eyebrows. "We passed." He indicated over his shoulder with his thumb. Barry followed the motion and his eyes landed on a bright blue A on a placard, propped up against a window. "Is something wrong? I can go and get my manager."

"We'll be speaking with everyone on the matter," Professor Stein said, finally setting his gaze on Jax. He then started shuffling past him, leaning heavily on the cane. "Don't you worry."

"Can't let you walk any further, sir," Jax said, throwing his arm out, catching Professor Stein in the chest. "Policy. And for your safety. There's a lot of dangerous equipment in here." He shifted his eyes back towards Barry. "See? Careful."

"Yes, yes," Professor Stein said with a nod. "However, many things lie beneath the surface."

"It's great that you're being careful with everything," Barry said, "but how careful are you truly being when you add illegal modifications to the cars being used in street races?"

Jax's nostrils flared. His eyes widened. He glanced around the room before making his way back towards the stereo, turning it on once more upon reaching it. Barry watched Jax's shoulders round. Watched him bow his head. Watched him tent his fingers in front of his mouth. Then he turned and walked back over to Barry and Professor Stein.

"Did someone send you?" he asked in a low voice.

"No, we've had some tips come into our office," Barry said, exchanging a glance with Professor Stein.

"On our hotline," Professor Stein said. "Newly established. Just as a means to make ensure that everyone in Central City is safe."

"So, people can rat each other out?" Jax asked with a scoff.

"We're a very new necessity to the city," Barry said. "After the singularity, you can see why public safety a big issue at the moment." Jax shrugged his shoulders. Barry removed his phone from his pocket and unlocked it. "I'll quickly make a note here; subject is nonresponsive."

"Ok, ok, look." Jax put his hands up defensively before motioning with his head for Barry and Professor Stein to follow him outside. Professor Stein sighed, mentioning how nice it was to hear something as delightful as birds chirping. "Ok, yes, I've…I've done a little work on the side."

"You've been illegally adding modifications to cars," Barry pointed out, putting his phone back into his pocket. "Why?"

"I had everything going for me with football," Jax explained after a moment of silence. "I had scouts coming to see me. Colleges had me on their lists for as long as I can remember. My mom and I would have been set, and she wouldn't have to keep working two jobs just to make sure we were ok. I would have been able to provide for her. I _am_ providing for her." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Like I said, we're up to code here, the boss wouldn't allow anything like this to happen."

"Of course, he does not have any knowledge of these actions," Professor Stein said.

"No, he-he doesn't." Jax turned around and looked into the garage, licking his lips. "I just needed the money, ok? We're still paying for medical bills because of my dodgy knee." He emphasized his point by lifting his knee and slapping it with his hand. "And if I have any hope of going to college, continuing my studies, I need to have something tucked way. I'm not getting a full ride, and any loan I could take, I'd be paying off for the rest of my life. Whatever dent I could make in that, I'll take it."

"You were really running a great risk here, Jax," Barry said.

Jax fixed Barry with a look of annoyance. "I'm sorry we all don't have people looking out for us, like you do, Mr. Allen." Barry pressed his lips together. He swallowed. "Yes, I do know who you are. I'm not stupid. _Everyone_ knows about what happened to you. Department of Safety?" Jax shook his head back and forth. "I can't believe I fell for that."

"Ok," Professor Stein put his hand in the air, "we apologize for the ruse. But we are here to talk to you."

Jax spoke over Professor Stein, and Professor Stein gaped in surprised. "The audacity," he said under his breath.

"While I am sorry about what you went through, and I can relate to some degree of having an absent father, you still had everything going for you." Jax used his hand to indicate up and down Barry's body. He then jabbed himself in the chest. "Me and my mom had everything taken from us because one stupid night. Because of that stupid particle accelerator or whatever from S.T.A.R. Labs."

"We're just asking you to come with us for a few hours," Barry said. "Just to hear us out. If you don't come with us, we won't be able to help Professor Stein," Barry said. Jax looked over at the man. Barry watched Professor Stein put more weight on the cane. "Look, Jax, that night you were injured, something happened to you." Jax paced a small circle, nostrils flaring in frustration. "Your DNA was altered. Altered to match that of Professor Stein. You're one of the only people that could save his life."

"How?" Jax demanded. "How do you know I'm the only one who can help?"

"Because you and Dr. Henry Hewitt both reacted to the affects of the particle accelerator the exact same way Professor Stein did," Barry said. "You have abilities far greater than anyone could imagine."

"More so than your proficiency with mechanics," Professor Stein said. "I foresee a future in engineering for you, Mr. Jefferson if you were to take on the challenge of the field of study."

"Yeah, well, I don't exactly have any money lying around for that," Jax said.

"Please," Professor Stein said quietly. Jax crossed his arms over his chest. "Now is not a time to be defiant. We are merely requesting that we continue this conversation at S.T.A.R Labs."

"And turn into some science experiment or something?" Jax asked. "I heard about that Metahuman Institute they're trying to build. No way. Not happening."

"S.T.A.R. Labs isn't affiliated with them," Barry replied. "They just want to help you."

"Why should I go to S.T.A.R. Labs? Why should I help either of you?" Jax demanded. "It's not like anything from S.T.A.R. Labs ever helped me." Barry licked his lips, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "I make my own way, ok? I have to. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to work, or I won't get paid. And I need all the money I can get."

"How did you even get into modifying cars, anyway?" Barry asked. "I'm sure the money is a great pull, but still."

Bowing his head, Jax scratched at the back of his neck. "Someone came in requesting work done on his car," Jax said with a sigh. "Practically wanted the whole car serviced, parts replaced. Multiple requests over time. Made good with his money." He shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Wanted me to add some extra things. Bought all the parts himself. Just wanted to pay for the labor." Jax looked back over his shoulder. "I never did anything here, ok? Not unless I needed to jack up the car, but that was rare. I did most of it at home while mom was at work."

"And your clientele?" Professor Stein asked.

Jax shrugged. "Word gets around," he replied. "I do a good job and I get new customers. Repeat customers, even." He cleared his throat. "I didn't know it was for street races or anything. Not at first. But I did have an idea later on." He suddenly looked panicked. "I promise I'll stop. Just, don't turn me in. Please."

"How'd you get the job here?" Barry asked.

"After my accident, it was the only place that would give me a chance," Jax replied. "They needed a new guy, and I learned a lot. Is that all?" He looked back and forth between Barry and Professor Stein, rubbing his hands together. He noticed that Barry had not responded to his plea. "Are we done?"

Barry let out a sigh through his nose. "If you change your mind, please, just come to S.T.A.R. Labs," he said. "Or give me a call, if you want some more answers. Just know that this is a time sensitive thing."

"What happens if I don't do this?" Jax asked, patting his pockets. He retrieved a slip of paper and a pen, handing it to Barry who quickly jotted down his number. He slowly looked Professor Stein up and down. "Are you going to die?"

Barry hesitated before answering, Professor Stein said without a moment's hesitation, "Yes." He then motioned for Barry to follow him and the two left, leaving Jax staring down at the number in his hand.

"What?" Barry asked once he noticed that Professor Stein was staring at him.

"Well done, Mr. Allen," Professor Stein said, looking amused. "You may be in the wrong, uh, let's say line of work. I do believe you would make an excellent detective."

Barry let out a humorless chuckle. "I've been interrogated by them enough to know how they get answers from people," he explained. With a sigh, he shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't do it, though. Become a detective."

"Why do you suppose not?"

"I believe in people," Barry said simply, stopping at the driver's side door of Professor Stein's car. Professor Stein peered curiously at him over the top of the passenger side door. "I couldn't give off the air that I think someone is guilty just to get an answer out of them." He lifted his hands into the air in a sort of half shrug before dropping his arms down by his sides. "I saw how they were with my dad. Joe didn't even believe him. Not for a while." Barry shook his head back and forth. "I just couldn't do it."

"Mr. Allen, do you truly believe that Jefferson is the right one to match with me?" Professor Stein asked.

Barry rapped his knuckles on the side of the car. "I believe," he said, "that anybody can be the right person for anything. You just need to keep an open mind." In that moment, Barry wished he had gone to talk to Jax alone, for he suddenly realized that, once again, Joe was right, and he knew that he would not move fast enough in a car to leave the thought behind.

* * *

She wasn't sure if anyone else noticed it, but Averey would have noticed Henry Hewitt's jaw tighten, body go ridged, lower eyelids shift upwards the second that Jefferson Jackson walked into the Cortex from a mile away. The distraction, however, was much needed as Caitlin had finally stopped her ongoing explanation about what, exactly, he could expect from combining with Professor Stein.

In fact, Caitlin had already been talking when she arrived after her early shift had ended. And she still wasn't done. Perched cross-legged on top of the computer desk, Averey held a finger over the right arrow key on the keyboard, waiting for Caitlin's signal to switch the projected information on the wall mounted monitors - everything she had complied into the S.T.A.R. Labs's database so far, being used to explain everything Hewitt needed to know.

"Thank god," Cisco said as soon as he spotted Professor Stein, "you made it back ok." He grabbed the chair behind the computers and wheeled it over to Professor Stein who lowered himself into it with a heavy sigh. "I wasn't able to find anything else to keep him stable. What I have powering his…Power Cane is the last bits from EoWells's wheelchair. We've only got two chances at this."

"Or one, as the case may be," Professor Stein said, wiping his hands on his knees.

"Are you all right?" Averey asked him. "You look flushed."

"Just exerted myself a bit too much," Professor Stein said. He must have felt the tension that suddenly cut into the room and smiled. "I assure you I do not feel any worse than I had before. This invention, Cisco, is working marvelously."

"If you're sure," Cisco said, watching Professor Stein, carefully. "Because you _do_ look exhausted." Professor Stein wiped at his brow with his arm. "I could go get Clarissa."

"No, no," Professor Stein said, reaching out a hand to grip Cisco's wrist. "I asked Clarissa specifically to stay away." He cleared his throat. "With my, um, failing health, I'd hate to think any residual radiation may affect her."

"Um, Caitlin, Cisco, Averey, this is Jefferson Jackson," Barry said after an extensive silence in response to Professor Stein's words.

"Jax," Jax instantly corrected him. He nodded at the group. "Hi."

"And this, is Dr. Henry Hewitt," Caitlin said with a bright smile, indicating the black man standing next to him. "He insisted on coming over as soon as I explained to him how he could help us."

"How do you do?" Hewitt asked. He didn't move to shake the hand that Jax offered to him. Averey watched the slow scan Hewitt did up and down Jax. The twitching lift of the corner of his lips. He turned towards Professor Stein. "I must say it is a great honor to meet someone of your caliber, Professor. I've spent so many years reading your reports. I absolutely devoured your research."

"Professor?" Barry said in response to Professor Stein's silence.

He was staring into space before he seemed to focus on the conversation, slowly turning his head to face Hewitt. "Er, uh, excuse me," Professor Stein said with a brief shake of his head, "I am grateful for your exuberance at my research. I have been following your career of course." Hewitt rolled back his shoulders, smiling proudly. "A top graduate from Hudson not unlike myself." Hewitt stepped forward, offering his hand to Professor Stein who shook it emphatically. "I must tell you, that I am impressed." With large grins, they both recited a short chant about the school.

"And I'm still waiting to figure out what exactly I'm signing up for," Jax said, putting his hand into the air. "Shouldn't we speed this up, though? I mean, the old man is dying, right?"

"Ok, from the top," Averey tapped a few keys on the keyboard, and the screen jumped to an image of Professor Stein and Ronnie Raymond with the words F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M above it. Caitlin sighed, clasping her hands together in front of her. "When either of you combine with Professor Stein—"

"The word would actually be _converging_ ," Professor Stein said, "Miss Moore."

"Right. So, the Quantum Splicer is what will help stabilize the powers that you have." The image on the screen changed to the quantum splicer.

Cisco picked it up from the desk and waved it around in the air, indicating it with his hand in a Vanna White-like way. "Without it, all the radiation in your body will, essentially, kill you from the inside out," he explained.

"Well, that's reassuring," Jax muttered. "But then, how are we not ticking time bombs at the moment?"

"Because you haven't been exposed to the Firestorm Matrix," Cisco explained. "Once you do, you'll be able to project nuclear blasts, transmutate objects, fly, all kinds of things. However, if you were to merge without this, you'd be looking at an unstable nuclear bomb waiting to go off at any moment."

"Which is what happened with Professor Stein and his old partner, Ronnie," Barry explained. "They were both trying to control Ronnie's body. Had no way of making the radiation in their bodies work together, it could have ended badly. Which is why we stress that this is really important. Because once you converge, it can't be undone."

"Look, we've already been through this," Hewitt said with a heavy sigh. "I understand everything, all the risks, what this all means." He waved his hand dismissively in Jax's direction. "They can catch you up with everything after we've been merged together." Jax slowly lifted an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest.

The Cortex was silent.

"Steady on," Averey said, putting a hand in the air "Jax needs to know this, too."

"We don't have a lot of time, correct?" Hewitt asked with a sigh of frustration. He waved his hands in a frantic way. "Let's go. Let's get to it. We're on a time crunch, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are," Caitlin said, "but it's important that both of you understand everything." She looked back and forth between Hewitt and Jax. "I mean, you both are the _only_ ones who can save Professor Stein. She motioned towards the smaller monitor on the wall that showed Hewitt's and Jax's medical charts and DNA sequences on the screen. "It's a big decision to make."

"With all due respect, your decision to continue to operate a damaged particle accelerator changed all of our lives already," Hewitt said, "so, I don't see this as anything I have to think about. Jax, of course, may have a different perspective."

"Yeah, maybe I do," Jax muttered. "You got a problem with that?"

"No, but that's not really going to help anyone, is it?" Hewitt asked, rounding on Jax. "See, I actually _want_ to do this. You can go back to playing with your toy cars and let the big boys handle this, ok?"

Jax uncrossed his arms, taking menacing steps towards Hewitt. "Keep talking," he said, "I can take you out before your brain could even comprehend what happened." He snapped is fingers in the air for emphasis.

"We didn't know the particle accelerator was going to malfunction, ok?" Cisco said loudly, an edge to his tone. He massaged his temples before burying his fingers into his hair, pushing his hair back from his face. "What's important now is that we get Professor Stein some help, or there will be one more death on our hands that doesn't need to happen." He held his hands out in the space between Hewitt and Jax, making sure neither of them was going to attack each other.

"Being of like minds," Hewitt said, indicating Professor Stein and himself with a wave of his hand, "Hudson graduates and all, I'm confident we'll be unstoppable. We both wish to achieve greater things, and I don't know anything greater than this."

"Look," Jax said, putting his hand in the air. "I don't need to be insulted, when all I'm trying to do is help you guys and Grey out." He started backing up a few steps. "So, I think I'm going to head out."

"No, wait," Barry said, reaching for him. "Please. Just, let's see what happens."

Hewitt grasped the lapels of his coat, adjusting them. He next spoke between clenched teeth. "Let's at least _try it_. _Now._ Before time runs out."

Averey pulled her eyebrows towards each other, reaching into her back pocket for her phone. As Cisco moved towards Hewitt with the quantum splicer in his hand, she bowed her head, quickly conjuring a text. _Could be nothing. Need you to look into someone else for me,_ she quickly typed out before hitting send.

Eddie responded quickly: _Anyone in particular? Still working on Carter Hall._

 _Criminal history,_ Averey tapped back, _Dr. Henry Hewitt. Got a bad vibe._ Her thumbs hovered over her phone for a moment before she added: _No, I'm not in trouble_.

 _? I didn't ask_.

Averey squinted at Eddie's response. It certainly wasn't the response she was looking for. She could practically see the tired look on Eddie's face as he, once again, asked her the question. See the resigned nod he would give whenever she would, undoubtedly, reassure him that she was ok. Only the sharp movement of Hewitt's reflection in the screen of her phone withdrew her gaze from the text response.

"Barry," she said in a whisper. Barry, who was staring transfixed at Hewitt, looked over at her, only moving his eyes. Averey beckoned him with her finger and he shuffled across the room to her side. "There's something up with this guy."

"He's got an ego the size of China," Barry said, running his hands over his face. Upon pulling them down, he stretched the skin downwards towards his chin. "But he seems to be all for this. That's a good sign at least."

"Yeah, rudely so, mate," Averey said. "Look at him." Barry gave her a confused look. "Go on, take a squizz. Feet firmly planted. Impatient. Tight jaw. Nostrils flared."

"He's angry," Barry said. "But, why?"

"Adding his ego in with that, you want a bloke like him around?" Averey asked.

"We may not have a choice," Barry replied.

Averey sighed. She nodded. Of course he was right. If Professor Stein wanted a fighting chance at all, Dr. Henry Hewitt may be their only choice. She found herself holding her breath when Cisco played the quantum splicer to his chest. It latched on to him instantly, fitting snugly over his shoulder and across his breastbone. Her knees bounced as she watched Professor Stein shakily get to his feet, beads of sweat along his brow.

He extended his hand.

Hewitt extended his.

Their fingers touched.

Nothing.

"Oh my god," Jax whispered.

Hewitt whirled around to glare at him. "This was supposed to work." He turned his glare to Caitlin. " _Why isn't it working?_ " Caitlin flinched at the sudden shout. "You said all I had to do was put this on and we'd converge."

"I said you'd have a _chance_ at converging," Caitlin replied. "You and Jax are two _possibilities_ at being the right match for Professor Stein." She started speaking quickly under Hewitt's stern gaze. Cisco took a couple steps closer to Caitlin, eyes narrowing slightly. "Jax has more alleles that match up, sure, but that didn't necessarily mean he's the perfect match."

"Except, _clearly_ that's _exactly_ what it means," Hewitt said, hands curling into fists at his side.

"I implore you, Mr. Hewitt—"

" _Doctor_ Hewitt."

"Yes, yes, my apologies," Professor Stein said with a nod. He reached a shaking hand out towards Hewitt's elbow. "However, this was never a guaranteed operation."

"Well maybe next time you should know for sure before getting anyone's hopes up," Hewitt said, pulling his arm away from Professor Stein.

"We should all just calm down," Barry said loudly.

"Maybe you should have told everyone there was no guarantee that this accelerator was going to work." Cisco placed a hand on Hewitt's chest, placing himself between Hewitt and Caitlin. "Maybe the rest of us wouldn't have had our lives changed against our will."

"Yeah, it sucked dude," Jax said, "but it happened. Move on like the rest of us."

"Weren't you leaving?" Hewitt rounded on him. Still, Cisco kept himself between Hewitt and, now, Jax.

"Were you done being a dick?" Averey asked, massaging her temples.

"I gave up everything to come help _you all_ out." Hewitt used both of his hands to point in two separate directions. He spun in a slow circle, indicating everyone in the room. "It's not my fault that you idiots, you absolute imbeciles, don't have everything together. This was a complete waste of my time."

"Back up, man," Cisco warned.

"If you want to work with this kid, be my guest," Hewitt said, "be my guest." His hands were thrown into the air, and he was suddenly three feet away from Cisco. He blinked rapidly, massaging his chest with his knuckles. "I'm out of here." Shoving past Cisco and Jax, he stormed out of the Cortex.

"Ok, this is all just a little too crazy for me," Jax said, slowly taking steps back out of the room. "I think I'm going to head out, too." He lifted his shoulders, hands coming towards his ears as if he was about to block out the collective pleading from Barry, Caitlin, Cisco, and Averey. "I'm sorry, ok. I'm sorry. I know you have a lot riding on this but…what if it doesn't work with me either?"

"It's bound to work," Barry said emphatically, "it has to. You're the only other match Professor Stein has."

"I can't," Jax shook his head. "I'm sorry, I just can't."

"So, it's only little inconveniences you don't mind fixing?" Caitlin asked. "An oil change, or new windshield wipers, go ahead and put you all into helping those people. But when we need your help, it's just S.T.A.R. Labs screwed up. No one wants to help them."

"Caitlin," Barry said quietly. Jax continued walking and they all followed him. Averey climbed off the table to do so.

"You recovered from your injuries, could get back into football whenever you wanted. What was it? You quit the second you heard the prognosis? Found out how hard it was going to be?" Caitlin's heels clacked angrily on the floor as she followed Jax to the elevators. He repeatedly pressed the call button. "Do you think it was easy for Professor Stein to realize that he will, in fact, die if he doesn't find someone to stabilize him?"

"Not my problem," Jax muttered.

"Caitlin," Barry tried again, but Caitlin still ignored him.

"You're just going to let an innocent man die?" Caitlin asked. "You're not going to do anything to help? You're just going to give up when times are tough?" Jax stayed silent, shifting his weight back and forth onto the balls of his feet. "Guess what? Life is tough. It's never going to get easy."

"Don't you think I know that?" Jax asked as the elevator doors opened. "You try living my life and telling me that life isn't tough."

"Try working a day of ours and tell us the same thing," Caitlin replied. "But go ahead, go back to your life. We'll continue doing what we do here."

"Fine then. You do that." The elevator doors slid shut, ending the conversation.

"Caitlin," Barry said, suddenly sounding tired.

"Professor Stein is going to _die,_ Barry," Caitlin said, whirling around to face him, eyes widening in defiance. "We only had two shots at this and one of them didn't work out. I wasn't going to let the other one walk out."

"No, mate," Averey said with a snort, "you just bloody held the door open for him." Caitlin opened her mouth, staring at her. "Oh my god. Really, Caitlin?"

Caitlin's eyes widened. "Well, I mean," she said, stumbling over her words, "we need someone who wants to do this, right?" She looked to Barry and Cisco for backup, but they were just looked back and forth between the two of them. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Averey replied, eyebrows shooting upwards, "but just because we all aren't academics who memorized 'Go, Fight, Nerd' chants doesn't mean we don't have good things going for us."

"That's not what I said."

Heat rushed up Averey's body, burning the tips of her ears, swarming in her cheeks and around her neck. "No, it's just what you implied." Averey crossed her arms over her chest, stepped closer to Caitlin. She breathed deeply through her nose. She jutted her jaw forward. Lowered her voice. "What was it about Jax you didn't like? He didn't want to be part of this? Or Jax not living up to Ronnie's caliber of work?"

"You and Barry do whatever you can to help save Central City," Caitlin said, her voice higher pitched than usual, "don't all kids wish to be superheroes? Cisco?"

"I mean comics are basically my Bible," Cisco said, face straight. Averey blinked, eyes narrowing slightly as she turned her gaze to him for a brief moment. Almost too blank. "Who wouldn't want to be able to fly or shoot fire from their hands?"

"Normal people?" Averey asked. She buried her fingers into her hair before clasping her hands together on the back of her neck. Nostrils flaring, she pushed a long sigh out of her nose, closing her eyes. "If you found out you were a match to donate a kidney to someone, would you do it?"

"Of course," Caitlin replied.

"Knowing how invasive of a surgery it is?" Averey asked, eyes still closed. "You'd be off your feet for weeks. Recovering for ages and the kidney might even be rejected by the end of it." She opened her eyes. Caitlin bit down on her bottom lip. "This isn't any different. We talked to Jax and Hewitt about this being an important decision. But no one told them how to feel if it didn't work." She reached down and tugged at the collar of her shirt in an attempt to cool herself of the heat that was still collecting around her neck." Or how we'd react if they didn't want to go through with it."

"She has a point," Barry said.

Feeling her phone vibrating against her thigh, Averey pinched it between her fingers, pulling it out of her pocket. Screen illuminated, she briefly saw that she had received a text message from Eddie, quickly reading that she needed to come down to the precinct. "On that note, I've got to go, too," Averey said. She pressed the call button for the elevator and waited for it to come to the floor, doors sliding open with a soft _ding._

"Averey," Caitlin said, pressing her hand to the elevator door, keeping it open. "Why did you want to become a superhero?"

"Reckon I didn't have a choice," Averey said shortly, jabbing her thumb into the circular button lining the wall. "I was hit by that dark matter wave, too."

"We've established today that there's always a choice," Caitlin replied. "Why did you choose to help us? To help Barry?"

Twisting her mouth to the side, Averey slid her hands into her jacket pockets. For a moment, she stared back at before parting her lips to say, "Let me know if you hear anything else about Professor Stein." She didn't want to talk any more to Caitlin, let alone be in the same room as her.

Caitlin removed her hand from the elevator doors and with a _ding_ they slid shut. Sighing, Averey settled back into the corner of the elevator, the railings keeping her up, suddenly feeling exhausted. She cast a sidelong glance to her wrist monitor as it clanged against the metal railing. Gripping it with her hand, she started twisting it back and forth over her wrist, attempting to wick away any sweat that built up underneath it.

In the twenty-five-minute bus ride across the city, she had plenty of time to cool down. She would apologize to Caitlin later for her outburst, she had concluded. _You're all just tense,_ she reminded herself, _you all just want Professor Stein to be ok._ She wouldn't necessarily apologize for what she said, just for how she said it – if she were being honest with herself, it was something she should have said ages ago.

"All right, Eddie?" Averey asked, walking through the bull pen and up to his desk.

It was equal parts weird, and nice to know that she could do so again. It was better than passing by an obviously empty desk that sat in the bullpen surrounded by others who were still on the job. It was even better to no longer see his picture on the wall of fallen officers – not that she ever truly took the time to look at the wall. A passing glance during her first visit to the station sometime after his memorial service (when her Earned Leave was scheduled to a meeting with Captain Singh) was long enough.

Eddie pushed his chair back from his desk and grabbed two folders, using his head to indicate for her to follow him. "Everything you wanted to know about Carter Hall and Henry Hewitt," he said, striding down a hall before taking a quick right turn into an empty office. He set the folders onto the table. "Letting you know now, there's not much there."

"It was worth a shot, I reckon," Averey said, starting to flip through the folder marked Carter Hall. She quickly scanned the list labeled employment. "There is something to be said about a bloke who wears many hats, though. Look at all of these jobs; Welder. Teacher. Paramedic. Accountant. Telemarketer."

"In my experience," Eddie said with a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest, "if someone doesn't stick around in one place long enough, something might be wrong. Look, all these jobs are in a bunch of different cities. He could be running from something."

"Or running to it," Averey replied. "I mean, look at my past residences, and I've resided in multiple states before getting to Central City." She made a noise in the back of her throat. "Carter might have been following Kendra across the country."

"Then he's not Shadow Thief," Eddie pointed out. "Kendra just got to Central City the night of the singularity. If Carter's just getting to Central City now, then you're looking for someone else." He nodded towards the second folder. "What're you looking at this Hewitt guy for."

"Potential match to save Professor Stein," Averey replied. She pushed her hair back from her face with her hand. "He was wound tighter than a spring, mate. The second things weren't going right, he changed." She snapped her fingers for emphasis. "Reckon he was about to blow his top."

Eddie's lips twitched. "And you were trying to reassure me that you weren't in trouble," he commented. Averey rolled her eyes, a breathy chuckle that came out of her mouth. "You're going to want to be careful with this guy, though. Part of his record is sealed—"

"Which doesn't happen without a good reason," Averey said.

"Exactly." Averey looked up at Eddie as he ran his fingers over his chin. He wasn't looking at her, but still his eyes seemed stuck in a cold, hard stare. Eyes alight. He almost looked like he wanted to smile. Almost. "You never know anyone until they show their true colors."

* * *

"He's not getting any better, is he?"

"No, he's not."

Barry closed his eyes, bowing his head as he listened to Cisco and Caitlin's hushed tones. Lowering himself into a seat at the edge of the medical room, he wrapped his arms over his knees, putting his forehead to his arms. Because of him, Firestorm was officially going to be out of commission, and there would be no way to bring them back.

 _"You can't protect us all on your own. You just can't. We have to take responsibility for ourselves to some degree."_ Joe's words echoed in Barry's mind. He knew without a doubt that Joe was right. Caitlin and Cisco had every opportunity to leave their jobs at S.T.A.R. Labs, and they still wanted to work there. They still chose to help him out. Even when they didn't know a thing about him, they did everything they could to help him.

 _It's their decision_ , Barry reminded himself, _and they chose to continue this every single day._ He lifted his head, putting his chin on his forearms. He couldn't tell people what to do. He couldn't decide what was best for other people. He had tried that before. It was really out of his hands. If anyone wanted out, they had every right to leave.

"I know he doesn't want her here, but maybe we should call Clarissa," Cisco suggested. "Get affairs in order or whatever."

"He doesn't want her here, Cisco," Caitlin reminded him with a click of her tongue.

"I've never been around someone dying before. I don't know what to do."

"Unfortunately, I do. He said he doesn't want her here, so we should respect it."

"But…they're married."

Barry's heart panged in his chest. It was a simple statement. Still, it held a lot of weight. Henry had stayed with his mom while she lay in the middle of the living room, dying. He wouldn't have ever left her side. Still, he loved Barry enough to try and keep him away. Professor Stein was just doing the same thing. But, Henry only lost Nora once, whereas Clarissa would be losing Professor Stein twice.

"He's not wrong, Cisco." Caitlin sighed. "Whenever he does…expire, there would be so much radiation in the air, it could cause anyone to get very, very sick." She hummed. "Even we should be wearing hazmat suits or something at least."

"We'll figure something out," Barry announced, getting to his feet. "We always do." He looked over at the bed and sighed through his nose. He wasn't sure what was scarier; seeing Professor Stein with a head full of blue flames, or this weak, this pale, found on the floor of the Cortex sweating profusely. "Just hang on, Professor."

" _Where is Jefferson Jackson_?"

Barry whirled around to face the gruff voice. Hewitt stormed into the room, looking more unkempt than he had hours previously. His shirt sleeves were unbuttoned, pushed roughly up his arms to his elbows. The hem of his shirt was untucked and unbuttoned. Eyes were wide and filled with anger. Teeth clenched. Eyebrows pulled towards each other, lines cutting deep just above his nose.

"Dr. Hewitt." Caitlin carefully handed Professor Stein the damp sponge. She skirted the end of the medical bed and hurried to Hewitt. "We're so sorry about what had occurred earlier." Barry gently grabbed onto her elbow, stopping her from fully moving past him.

"Yeah?" Hewitt asked. "I'm really sorry, too. Sorry that I have to do this." He looked around the room. "Where is Jefferson?"

"He's not here, dude," Cisco called from the medical bay. He stepped up to Caitlin's other side. "Chill out." Hewitt seemed to bristle at the words, and Barry shifted his weight from foot to foot, trying to clear the feeling of electric build up in his legs. The lights around the room started flickering.

"What do you want with him?" Barry asked.

"If he wants to destroy everything I've worked hard for," Hewitt said, a field of red energy quickly expanding from his fists to wrap around his body. The lights flickered even faster. "Then I'm going to destroy everything _he_ worked hard for." With a giant step forward, Hewitt let out a roar of anger, shooting the red wave towards them.

Barry crossed his arms over his face, trying to shield himself from the bright light, a second before a tremendous force hit him in the chest, knocking him off his feet. He could hear Caitlin and Cisco grunt, eclipsed by the sound of crashing glass, crunching metal, and the sound of bodies hitting the floor as the room imploded around them. _Pop. Pop. Pop._ Barry curled in on himself when dots of heat rained down over his body.

Cracking open an eye, he watched a shower of sparks fall through the dark room. The emergency lights kicked on a second later, bathing the room in a warm glow. "You guys ok?" Barry asked, pushing himself up onto his forearms. He rolled onto his back and pulled himself up into a seated position. Bits of glass and debris dropped from his head, shoulders, and chest into his lap and onto the floor. "Caitlin? Cisco?"

Cisco made a face as he attempted to push his long hair back from his face. Removing his fingers from his hair, he gazed down at the thin cuts on his fingers. "I'm ok," he said, nodding.

"I'm ok, too," Caitlin said. She pressed the heel of her palm to her forehead where a patch of blood sat. "Hewitt's abilities must have been unleashed when we tried to merge him with Professor Stein. He was so angry."

"Where _is_ Professor Stein?" Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin looked up in alarm at the sudden voice and found Jay standing in the doorway, looking stricken. His chest heaved as he leaned against the door jamb. Barry looked from Jay to the now empty medical bed. "I saw that guy coming, I tried to get here in time." He pressed his lips tightly together. "If I had my speed…I could have warned you guys."

"Don't blame yourself," Barry said, carefully stepping over the glass.

"Hewitt must have taken him," Cisco said as Caitlin hurried to the empty bed. It hung to the side, one of it's legs missing. The monitor that was tracking his vitals lay on the floor, screen smashed, wires lay like spaghetti noodles on the floor. "To draw Jax out."

"But where could he have taken him?" Jay asked, moving to Caitlin's side. He carefully took her elbow, helping her to her feet. "Here, let's get you away from this glass." Caitlin leaned into him, holding on to him tightly when Jay wrapped an arm around her waist, carefully lifting her into the air and over the sea of glass shards on the floor. He carefully set her on the floor, starting to look her over. "You ok?"

"Yes, yeah, I'm ok," Caitlin replied. "Thank you."

"Hewitt said he was going to destroy everything Jax worked hard for," Barry said. He snapped his fingers. "When Professor Stein and I went to speak with Jax, he was saying that football was the one thing that was supposed to make things easier for himself and his mom. Where was Jax the night the accelerator went off?"

"Hopefully I will have an answer for you," Cisco said, hurrying to the computers. He crossed his fingers. "Please be ok." He dropped himself into his computer chair and leaned towards the screen. Jiggling the mouse to his computer, he let out a long sigh of relief when it booted up with no issue. "Come on, baby, come on." Cisco's fingers flew over the keyboard keys before he ended it with a single strike of the ENTER key. "Ok, ok, um, got it! Jax was at football practice at Central City High School."

"Football was Jax's ticket out," Barry said, his hands coming up to his head. "Of course." Leaning forward on the balls of his feet, he pushed off the ground and zipped through the city, grabbed Averey from the bus stop, and raced back to S.T.A.R. Labs.

"Whoa," Averey said, taking in the site of S.T.A.R. Labs as soon as her feet touched the floor, "what happened? Everything's carked."

"Hewitt," Barry replied. Her eyes widened and she gasped. "Listen, Ave, I need to go find him, he's got Professor Stein. In the meantime, I need you to find Jax. You're the only one who can get their while I go look for Hewitt." Averey looked at him in bewilderment. "The Cisco Cycle, Ave. Suit up and head out. Bring him to the Central City High football field as soon as you find him."

"I'm on it," Averey replied. With a nod, her set into a look of determination and she crossed the room to the alcove holding their suits. Barry quickly zipped into his suit before he pushed his mannequin out of the way of its track for hers to swing around to the front. "Cisco; find everything you can on Hewitt. Eddie said part of his criminal file was sealed, find out why."

"Uh," Cisco looked around the room, "I have a pretty good guess as to why. But no problem."

"I'll see if I can find any radiation signatures from Professor Stein," Caitlin said, moving to sit at her own computer. "This way we can keep an eye on what his radiation output is looking like."

"If you can get Jax there in time," Jay said, moving to stand behind Cisco and Caitlin, "you truly might have a chance." He looked Barry in the eye. "Run fast."

Barry reached up and pulled his cowl down over his face. "I couldn't do this without you guys," he said with a cleansing breath. He reached a hand up and pressed it into the earpiece of his suit. It crackled on, a soft static-y sound in his ear. "Thank you." He shot off, tearing across the city as the sun slowly started to set. Purples, oranges, reds, and yellows mixed together more and more as he neared the high school. Coming to a stop in the middle of the grass, partially aware of the rivets he left in the grass, a swatch of blue light shot across his face. "Professor Stein!"

Drenched with sweat, breathing heavily, Professor Stein crouched behind a row of tackle dummies. His arms and head were alight with brilliant blue flames. Hewitt stalked towards him, throwing wave after wave of red energy towards the tackle dummies. _Bang._ One side cut through the grass, knocking Professor Stein of his knees. _Bang_. The other side bumped into him and he scrambled away from the heavy equipment. Peering out between the fake helmets on the top of the dummy, Professor Stein thrust his arm forward, sending a rush of blue flames towards Hewitt, who reacted quickly and combatted it with an energy blast of his own.

In a burst of speed, Barry cut through the two attacks, the wind rushing behind him, sending them in separate directions. Placing his footsteps on the edges of his feet, Barry ran circle after circle around Hewitt before placing himself between Hewitt and Professor Stein.

"Hewitt, you have to stop," Barry shouted, chest heaving.

"If I can't have the Firestorm matrix," Hewitt growled, "nobody can!" He lifted his arms into the air, and Barry watched as waves of red energy started to be pulled from the bright lights surrounding the field and into his body. Lips parting, Hewitt laughed as the energy was absorbed through his body.

"Murder isn't the way to get what you want," Barry said, holding a hand feebly out in front of himself. "It's not going to change that you're not compatible with Professor Stein."

"I can make it so much better than he could ever dream of. I'm just as smart. I'm just as successful."

"Cut the lights to the field," Barry instructed, pressing a hand to his earpiece.

" _Barry,_ " Caitlin's voice was loud in his ears, " _Professor Stein doesn't have much more time._ "

"I know," Barry replied. "I just need to think. I need to think. I need to—duck."

" _What?_ " Cisco, Caitlin, and Jay chorused.

Barry squeezed his eyes shut, arching out of the way of a bright burst of light that crackled and shot towards him. Twisting, he moved so fast, the light slowly spider-webbed its way through the air. Barry squinted against the brightness of the light contrasting against the darkness on the field. He could feel the heat from the white light, as it moved over his body.

Once it cleared him, Barry stumbled forward on his feet, whirling around to find the source of the light. Two glowing orbs hovered at the top of a set of bleachers, swinging back and forth. He squinted, trying to make out the moving shadows until he realized it was a person. No, a woman. A woman coming down the bleachers one step at a time. It was only when the orbs of light lifted into the air, did Barry realize it was coming from the palm of her hands.

/ / /

"Where now, guys?" Averey asked, using the palm of her hand to rotate the steering wheel of the Cisco Cycle.

It certainly felt good to be in the driver's seat again. She wasn't even one percent as fast as Barry and had evening traffic to deal with as well (and the occasional red light Averey happened upon with a "Come on!" and a throw of her hands into the air), but it felt good to be Visionary. To feel like she could actually had a sense of freedom despite everything.

" _Jax's phone is now bouncing off the cell tower closer to the_ _middle of the city_ ," Caitlin explained. " _Near the basketball arena_."

"I know exactly where that is," Averey said. It was going to be hard to find a place that past meta-human encounters were situated moving forward. Still, her stomach clenched at the thought of going to the same location where Eddie had been abducted not even a year ago. "Stand by." Quickly glancing over her shoulder, Averey checked to make sure no traffic was coming and pulled out of the lane she was in to swing out into the one next to her, flying around the corner with a hard press of her foot to the gas pedal.

Swerving in and out of cars, Averey moved closer and closer to the heart of the city. The low hum of the car was the only thing accompanying her, the soft glow of the LED lights from all the buttons and displays on the interior of the car. Gripping the steering wheel with her hand, she briefly glanced down at the bulge under her glove and the sleeve of her suit where her wrist monitor sat. She laughed through her nose. There would be no way she could explain how she was moving quickly through the city when it was GPS centered. Still, the further the sun dipped over the horizon, the less time Averey knew she had until she needed to be home.

Spotting a lone figure walking the sidewalk in the distance, Averey accelerated the car even more. Cutting the wheel hard to the right, Averey slammed on the brakes. With a screech of tires, the Cisco Cycle came to a stop. who jumped back in alarm. Averey popped open the overhead door and faced Jax, "Jump in."

"What is this?" Jax asked, staring at her. He blinked hard once, twice, three times and leaned forward to get a better look at her. Huffing, Averey pressed her fingers into the earpieces of her veyesor and flipped the band up to the top of her head – making it look more like a pair of headphones. Cisco really had thought of everything. "Averey?"

"We gotta go, mate," Averey said, tapping her thumb against the steering wheel. "Hewitt's got Professor Stein at the high school. You need to merge with him. Now." Jax opened and closed is mouth. "If you don't come now, Professor Stein will die, mate."

"I know," Jax breathed, "I was just on my way back to S.T.A.R. Labs. I changed my mind I know I have to help him." He wedged himself into the space behind Averey's seat. Averey reached up above her for the door and pulled t shut around them. "So many people worked so hard to get me to even walk again. The least I could do is pass that forward, right?"

"Reckon the least you could do is entertain the idea," Averey said, shifting the car into drive. With a sharp downward nod of her head, the veyesor slipped back down over her eyes, colliding with the bridge of her nose. Stomping on the gas pedal, the Cisco Cycle shot forward and she settled back in her seat. Jax cursed under his breath at the sudden burst of speed, and swing from side to side in the cramped space. "You've already done that. This is going above and beyond."

"Yeah, well…" Jax pushed his arms out into the space around him, traying to keep himself still. "You really need to upgrade your ride," he said. "Like, add an extra seat or something."

" _Hey_ ," Cisco's voice of indignation filled the car, " _she's a beaut. Don't knock it. It was only supposed to be a one-seater, anyway_. _With a little wiggle room for longer legs._ "

"I'm just saying, I can really boost your ride if you want," Jax muttered.

"Yeah, let's think about that after we save Professor Stein." Averey handed him the quantum splicer over her shoulders. "Put this on. And hang on tight." The lights to the vehicle swept over the lines of the parking lot, then the fence. Not once did she slow down before crashing through the chained fence and peeling out onto darkened field.

"What are you doing?" Jax asked, voice high pitched in bewilderment. He grunted as he was jostled with each bump the vehicle took over the field. "Do you know how expensive this grass is?"

" _Be careful, Averey,_ " Caitlin said _._ " _Hewitt's got a new energy source. He's really powerful_."

Averey smiled confidently, using one hand to pop her seatbelt, she used the other to grip the boomerang blades hanging off the side of her hips. Unfastening one, she gripped it in her hand. She threw the vehicle into park, pressed the brake and popped open the door. "Go, go, go."

Jax launched himself out of the vehicle, tearing across the field. Ducking his head, he dodged plumes of grass that exploded at his feet. Screaming in rage, Hewitt threw blast of energy after Jax, trying to knock him down. Barry streaked past him, landing a punch to Hewitt's jaw. He had reacted quickly, deflecting Barry with a well-timed blast of energy to the stomach.

Averey leaped out of the Cisco Cycle, throwing her boomerangs towards Hewitt. They fell harmlessly out of the air by two pulses of light. "What the…?" Averey skidded to a stop, staring down at her fallen weapons. She barely had time to think about what she had just seen when a strong force slammed into her back, knocking her off her feet. Grass tickled and pricked her face and up her nose as she fell forward into the grass.

Rolling onto her back, Averey kicked her feet upwards, catching the chest of the woman that suddenly stood over her, sleek helmet reflecting the stars dotting the night sky. Doubling over, the woman grabbed her chest, her breath rushing out of her mouth in a _woosh._ With a grunt, Averey swung her elbow upwards in an arc, striking the woman across the face. Teeth grit, the woman grabbed handfuls of Averey's suit and lifted her up into the air, throwing her across the field.

"Ugh!" Averey bounced once, twice, and rolled on the grass.

She could hear Barry and Hewitt fighting each other somewhere behind her; the sound of punches landing on each other evident. Wheezing, Averey pushed herself up onto her elbows and squinted her eyes. A purple filter slid over her vision growing more and more vibrant before the wave of energy blasted out of her eyes, and towards the quickly approaching metahuman. Swinging her arms, the woman threw bolt after bright bolt towards Averey. Rolling back and forth, Averey dodged the strikes, dirt raining down on her.

"You won't stop me from giving Zoom what he wants," the woman shouted across the clearing. "Zoom always wins."

"He's 0 for 2 at this point, I reckon," Averey said, lifting herself to her feet. She spat at the blades of grass stuck to her lips before using the back of her hand to wipe it away. "But third time's a charm, eh?"

"Cute." The woman rotated her arms in a windmill before she struck the ground. A wave of white light burst from her in all directions. Averey went flying for a third time. She could hear two more bodies, Barry and Hewitt, landing away from her.

Then, there was another rushing sound and the woman let out a scream as she was thrown into a metal bench on the sidelines. Looking up into the air, a fireball streaked across the night sky. Jax, with his eyes alight, upper torso on fire moved jerkily through the air, trying to keep himself stable.

" _He did it_ ," Cisco cheered into Averey's ears, " _Jax and Professor Stein are stabilized_."

" _All the readings look promising_ ," Jay said. " _Three against one. You should have a chance now._ "

"Now's time for a little offense, don't you think?" Jax asked, hovering jerkily over Averey. He grabbed a hold of her arm and lifted her into the air with a hard tug before carefully setting her back down onto the ground. A second later, he helped haul Barry to his feet. "Got a Hail Mary plan or a Blitz or something up your sleeve?"

"Normally, we just kind of wing it," Barry commented. He laughed. "Or foot it as the case may be." Jax laughed, and Averey rolled her eyes.

"Shut up!" Hewitt shouted. He rounded on the woman who slowly rocked back and forth on her feet. "Give me more power. Everything you've got and I can prove to these idiots that I deserve to be the best." The woman hesitated. "I'll defeat the Flash and give him to Zoom. I'm the superior intellect."

The woman sighed, pressing the side of her helmet, and the large lenses pulled back, revealing her face. Averey gasped. Barry stared. "Linda?" they chorused.

"You've got yourself a deal," she said to Hewitt. Then, she turned back towards Averey, her lips lifting into a smirk. She grabbed a hold of Hewitt's arm and second by second, the red energy surrounding the black man grew bigger and bigger. "And that's how you keep up your end of a bargain, Obscura."

Jax shot forward, a flaming missile streaking across the dark field. Hewiit thrust forward a large wave of energy. With a scream, Jax cut through the energy field and landed a double fisted punch square into Hewitt's chest, knocking him to the ground where he didn't move.

Linda leaped into the air, charging up a light attack that glowed brighter, brighter, and brighter still until she slammed her fists downwards. The football field lit up as bright as a clear, sunny day. Even brighter. Jax curled in on himself, shielding his eyes. Barry dropped to his knees, screaming as he buried his face into his hands.

Averey shrieked in pain that she had never felt before. Hot tears slipped down her cheeks as she clawed frantically at her eyes. The light dissipated, leaving a gray hue over everything, as if the color was suctioned out of her vision. Then the world went black, and Averey fell face first to the grass.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

First of all, shoutout to gods-own for their review in which they gave me an idea for an event that, while it didn't end up making it in this chapter, will make it in the next one and also helped me work through a bit of writer's block. This chapter was way longer than I intended, but here it is! In my head it's always shorter than actually writing it out, but I didn't feel like I could really cut any of this out without dragging on the 4th/5th "episode" of the season any longer. Especially since we're 20 chapters in and Harry still isn't around.

When re-watching season two to figure out how I wanted this story to go, I always knew I'd combine Jax and Stein's converging storyline with Dr. Light's - admittedly, it was a tad different when I first thought of it, but things always seem to change once you get around to writing it. But this does lead into Averey's new ability I've been hinting at that I'm excited to see your reception for.

Thanks everyone for continuing to check out the story. I'm excited for you all to see the next chapter as it really starts to drive the central point of family in my fics forward, more specifically the Allens vs the Wests vs the Moores.

Enjoyed a specific spot in the chapter? Need further explanation on anything. Leave a comment.

-Rhuben

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 **Review Replies:**

 _gods-own:_ I haven't shown Averey's weaknesses as much, but with the next chapter it will be more prevaient as well as be helpful to her to some extent.

 _Ethan:_ I always enjoy seeing your theories as you read along with the stories (and grinning to myself as I watch you potentially piece things together). And, yes, Averey definitely uses her kickboxing lessons to her advantage.


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